Jesus Longs For You By: Dr. Pete Norris

today on power in the word I believe God is so consumed with us that he wants to sit around the campfire with us and and like he did with the boys and say you know you haven't caught any fish but I've cooked you some I think he wants to be so involved in our lives that it's just not about going to church on Wednesday and Sunday and Tuesday but it's really about an intimate relationship that when you're away he's just as close as he is when you're there the only reason we come together is to heal each other but we can't heal each other if we haven't been healed ourselves in the intimate time with him welcome to power in the word for many people God may seem distant and removed from everyday life well the truth is is that God loves us more than we realize well today dr. Norris shows us in the Word of God that Jesus desires and longs for a relationship with his children this is a very encouraging message so you stay with us turn to somebody say Jesus longs for you do you ever not see somebody for a long period of time and then you kind of want to see him and you kind of long to see him and there's something when you see him it just kind of lights you up a little bit well I just kind of heard the Lord say today he's wanting to see some of y'all so song of Solomon 7 and 10 I'm my beloved's how many of you know you're accepted in the beloved how many of you know you're accepted in the beloved you made accepted in the beloved and his desire is towards you it says me but this is song of Solomon talking now how many of you know Solomon doesn't live by the book Solomon had 700 concubines and 300 wives you know he won't fully his elevator didn't go all the way up why would anybody want a thousand women you got a hit a sexual addiction you got a big addiction you want a thousand women come on seriously I'm being serious think about it a minute Solomon had everything that he wanted he had so much money that he threw silver on the ground and let people just walk on it but he said at the end of Solomon's life what did he say but you gotta understand Solomon didn't have the Holy Spirit living inside of him and Solomon was God's chosen man for the time and yet here's Solomon at the end of his life he said everything's vanity all

this stuff that I'm longing for all this stuff that I wants vanity he said but I am my beloved's and his desire is toward me now I want you to think about that I want to dwell on that Julie I am my beloved's and his desires toward me the indwelling Christ within you is desiring time along with you see you don't understand something about God that's really powerful he's hungry for you is what you're sensing it isn't you're hungry for him he's hungry and for you are you with me we know we are all in him when's the last time we really sit down and had a talk with him when's the last time we got that book open and really spent some time with him when's the last time we really knew that we knew that he knew that he was there with us in the midst of that it was so real you ever heard it said in the church it was so thick today you could cut it with a knife you ever heard that in the church before it's so thick today you could cut it with a knife well I'm telling you it's big to get so thick you ain't gonna stay his desire as an invitation for you to come away with him into a place where you and he can sing the songs of your heart to each other see that's where he's trying to take you this thing's more than you just getting a bunch of revelation and and you finding out who you are you just know when he when you find out who he you are he already knows who you are he's just trying to reveal himself through you to determine and let you realize who you are he's not looking for you he's got you you just didn't know you got now go to Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 17 in the New American Bible and here's what it says and it's powerful the Lord your God is in your midst a victorious warrior he will exalt over you with joy he will be quiet in his love he rejoice over you with shouts of joy how many of you know he's singing because of you glory guys we got to get a hold that he's actually singing listen there would have been no purpose for God to create himself if it hadn't been a longing for you God didn't create the earth for nothing but for you he so longs to be with you that there's something missing without you that's why it takes all of us to make him so without a point of us he's a part of his man now I'm gonna shake you right now because here's what we've heard in our

life you know they're going to hell brother now I'm gonna tell you if he goes to hell then a part of Jesus has gone to hell because we're a many many membered body and what's this the New King James Version says he will quiet you with His love. Have you ever noticed when you're going through a difficult time in your life, God's not talking? But boy, is He talking right before you go through it. Go to Isaiah 62 verse 5, and I'm heading somewhere, and I'm going to get there in just a minute. And as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you. So shall your sons marry you. And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Guys, are you with me? Listen, all these people are preaching, you know, there's going to come a time we're going to have the marriage supper of the Lamb, and then we're going to marry God. If you ain't married to Him now, then you can't use His name. And if you can't marry to Him now, you can't sleep with Him. If you ain't married to Him now, you can't be intimate with Him. So now, somebody's missing the story here, and he tells me that we're married. So he's longing to be with you. He's longing to spend time with you. He's longing to know everything about you that makes you tick. He knows it, but he wants to hear you say it. Because he wants you to discover everything about him that you don't know about him, that he already knows about you, and he's willing for you to know it, but you don't know it yet because you ain't asked him. But is he longing to be intimate with you? It's more than just a shout and a praise and a jump and a holler. It's about an intimate relationship that he quietens us in his love. Now, go with me to Psalms 32, verse 7. You are in my hiding place.

You shall preserve me from trouble. You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. How many of you have ever heard the Lord singing around you? Guys, do you even understand what praise and worship is? Praise and worship is just tilling the ground and breaking the ground for me to come along and sow seeds in it. What it does is it brings you into a place with God where you're receptive to the Word that's coming forth. They're really the activators. They're really the motivators. They're really the carriers of breaking the ground. I just come along and sow seeds. Do we understand what praise and worship is about? Praise and worship is more than just singing a song. It's opening up our hearts to receive what he's going to say to us. It's getting ourselves in a preposition and a place in our lives where we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as he speaks through the messenger. That's what he's trying to do. He longs for you. He longs to talk to you. He longs to spend time with you. He longs to be intimate with you. I want you to go with me to Psalms 29, verse 3. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. How many of you love to go out and hear the beach? Why? He's speaking to you. It's his voice speaking to you. It's something about it brings peace. Why?

Because he's going to quieten you with his love. So when you hear those waves rolling in, what is it really? It brings such a peace to you and such a relaxation. Why? Because it's God speaking to you. Why don't them things come up to a certain limit and they stop? Because he put boundaries on them before time exists. But guys, listen, unless they break the law, it can't come any deeper. Because we've got to understand that God longs for you. For the director of music of Psalms of David, the heavens declare the glory of God. Have you ever gone out at night and just looked up? What do you see? You can see for miles. The skies proclaim the work of his hands. Verse 2. Day after day they pour forth speech. The sky is talking to you all the time. God is talking all the time. Night after night they reveal knowledge. How did the three wise men find Jesus? They followed the star. Guys, what is he speaking to us? What are you looking for? All of us are looking at the come out of somebody's mouth. God is speaking profusely and profoundly all over the earth. Every moment of the day his glory is being revealed because he's still the God of more than enough. Look at verse 3. They have no speech. They use no words. No sound is heard from them.

Verse 4. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth. Their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. Glory be to God. This almighty God that we're talking about has pitched a tent for the sun to shine. The S-U-N is the S-O-N. And it's all the sun is is God's face shining upon his creation. It's shining through his creation. I've got to go here. First Corinthians chapter 3 verse 10. By the grace of God, by the grace God has given me. This is Paul talking. I laid a foundation as a wise builder and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. Verse 11. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ. Verse 12. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold or silver or costly stones or wood or hay or straw. Verse 13. Their work will be shown for what it is. Because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire. And the fire will turn into fire. Test the quality of each person's work. Now, is that going to be when we get to hell? Okay, verse 14. If what we have built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, yet will be. Even though only as one escaping, as only one escaping,

as only one escaping through the flames. Is this talking about hell? You've heard it said that your work's going to be tested, it's going to be tried, and if you ain't right, you're going to be cast into the flames. Now, why are we going to be cast into what we're supposed to be? Because the Bible said in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 29, that God is a consuming fire. And the Bible says in Hebrews that you and I are the flames of that fire. So we're going to be the flames inside the fire of hell? Or are we going to be the flames that's going to consume everything on earth? Even though as one escaping, yet will be saved. Go with me to Romans chapter 8. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor daemons, nor present nor future, nor any powers, 39, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. So let me ask you something, is death going to separate you? So people are going to be in hell with love in their heart. Go with me to Romans chapter 14, verse 7 through 9. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord. If we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or whether we die, we are... And ain't nothing about being born again up before that. So, if we live or if we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or whether we die, we are who? Whether we live or whether we die, we are the what? I want you to think about that, because we are going to go deeper Sunday on that one. Go to Isaiah 55. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. How many of you have ever heard the trees clapping? How many of you have ever heard the mountains singing? Guys, come on, why do you love to go to the mountains? Is it because the mountains are there? Is it because something brings, something overwhelms you a little bit? Something's talking to you a little bit? Something's bringing you peace a little bit? How many of you have ever been to the beach, and you got to the beach, and as soon as you went across the line, it was like everything just went... You just felt different? Wonder why? Why does people go to the beach to relax? Why don't they go to Benson? Seriously, why do you think that is? Because God's creating something wonderful, isn't it? God is speaking continuously through everything, but we haven't got time to see it during the day. We ain't got time to think about it. We're so busy going to and here, to and... Jeremiah said people are going to be going to and fro, and ain't even got no direction of where they're going. Where are we going? I heard a man say the other day, they don't know where they're going, but when they get there, they're going to be disappointed. Most people never venture outside of their concrete jungle. But a faint song is in the distance, beckoning for those with ears to hear to come away by yourself to a secluded place and rest a while. Now just a moment, we're going to see what Jesus did.

Go to Mark chapter 6, verse 31. And he said to them, Come aside by yourself to a deserted place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they did not even take time to eat. This is in red. Jesus said, come away with me a while to a deserted place and rest. We must choose quietness. We must stand against the current of the culture. How many of you know you're too busy? Just two of you. The word wakes in the Bible 138 times. 128 of those times it's the Greek word and Hebrew word be quiet. How many of us are getting down and we're going through a repetitious prayer? And we get up. He hasn't said anything. We've said our little howdy doody. We haven't took time to spend no time with him to hear what he's saying to us. And we get up and then we wonder, I'm going about my day. But God, I'll call you when I need you. See, he wants to be in every single second of your day. He wants you to slow down and smell the roses and understand what God's trying to say to us. I want you to go with me to Hosea chapter 2 verse 14. Now we got we choose where we have quietness or not. How many of you go home and you just turn the TV on because you want to hear something? You don't like quietness. Quietness gets you. Is she scared? Because you hear voices in quietness. Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness,

and I'll speak comfort to her. Now how many of you know the word comfort in the actual Hebrew here is to speak to her heart? See, I may be speaking to you tonight, and that may be a wonderful thing, and you may walk out of here with some revelation. That's from Hunky Dory. That's what we're playing. But what if God speaks? You ever been riding down the road, and you know you heard His voice? Wasn't that different hearing Pete? Didn't it carry a little bit more weight? He's telling us to slow down and smell the roads. Let's go to Mark chapter 1 verse 35. And all these Jesus did. Now in the morning, having risen a little while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He... So He went out every morning to a solitary place, not a religious place. He departed. Now in the morning, having risen a long before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He... Wonder why He got up in the middle of the night and went outside? Was it just peace and quiet, or did He have something on His mind concerning Him? Probably just couldn't sleep, guys. For some reason, we think Jesus was automatic. He went to bed at 11 and got up at 7. Went to bed at 11 and got up at 7. He didn't go to the bathroom during the night like we do. He was a human, touched with the same infirmities as we were, and He struggled with the same things that you and I are struggling with. And He had to deal with His head all the time. And He said, and the way I know I'm going to make it is I'm going to have to get off into a deserted place. I'm going to have to spend some time with the Father. Because if I'm going to spend some time with the Father, I can't minister to other people until I've been with the Father. You've got to spend time with the Father, not to minister to other people, but for you to minister to yourself. You need time to get ministered to, instead of worrying about ministering to everybody. Henry Hewin said this, and I love this, and I wrote it down.

I keep this in my book all the time. In solitude, we listen to the voice of the One who spoke to us before we could speak a word, who healed us before we could make any gesture for help, who set us free long before we could ever free others, who loved us long before we could ever give love to anyone. It is in this solitude that we discover that being is more important than having, and that we are worth more than the results of our efforts. Guys, put that on your closet, put it on your bathroom, put it in your head, put it in your Bible, write it down, tear it out of this sheet, and understand that before you could love, He already loved you, and you're worth more than your efforts are. It's more about being than having. You know, I don't know, I just, I know God's, I can't speak for you, but God is trying to change me. Luke 5, 17, He told me this week, He said, Son, He said, I'm going to broaden you with faith, and I'm going to broaden you with grace, because you don't know much about grace. Luke 5 and 16, so He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. He got along with the Lord. See, we don't intentionally go out and do it, but we get so busy in our day-to-day life. We get so busy, if it's just cleaning the house, or looking after the children, or looking after the grandchildren, or doing our little chores, or cutting our grass, or, that's the most important thing in our lives at that point. But what if every time and every day, the first thing on our eyes, Lord, I thank You for this day. This is the day the Lord has made, and I'm going to rejoice, and I'm going to be glad in it, and I'm going to be thankful for this day, because something good, and Lord, direct my steps today. I've got some things I want to do, but what do You want me to do, Lord? See, I think it would be a better day for some of us. I think we wouldn't worry quite so much and be so tore up.

Go to Luke 6 and 12. And it came to pass in those days that He went up to the mountain to pray, and He continued all night in prayer to God. Now, let me ask you something. When's the last time you spent all night praying? You know, Jesus longs for you, man. And He don't long... See, you don't have to pray to Him just because you've got a problem. Most of the time, people pray when they've got a problem. What if you just talked to your spouse or your husband just when you had a problem? Well, some people do. Listen, we need to be intimate. We need to understand how valuable people are, and how valuable our time is. And life is like a vapor. You know, I was talking outside tonight. We were cooking, and Ronnie made a statement. And it's rung in my mind since he said it. You know, his grandfather was like 93, and he asked him one time, he said, you know, that's a long life. He said, it's not to a 93-year-old. Think about it a minute. Life is like a vapor. And then what? And then what? What kind of relationship do we have with Him? Do we know Him well enough to know we're going through a battle in our life, that no matter what comes, we're going to be okay? That it's going to be okay? That it's really going to be okay? You know, it's easy... They say it when you ain't got an issue. But what really happens? He's longing to be with you worse than you're longing to be with Him. Go to Galatians chapter 1 verse 15 through 17. But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace.

This is Paul. When it pleased the Lord He separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son that was in me. So the Son must have been in Paul when He was stored in the church. That I might preach to Him among the Gentiles, the unbelievers, did not immediately confer with flesh and blood. Nor did I go to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. Spiritual hunger is a result of encountering Christ in our lives. Listen, you don't have to be spiritually hungry. He said those that are hungry and thirsty, I'll fill them. What if you only ate when you got hungry? How much would you eat? Most people only pray when they get hungry. Hunger to them is desperation. When I no longer can handle it, I'm going to call on God. What if we had that person in our life that we could spend so much time with and be so intimate with that we could tell Him anything? See the only thing you tell God is what you want Him to know. Even though He knows what you don't want Him to know, the only thing you tell Him is what you need from Him. Do you ever tell Him how wonderful He is? So spiritual hunger is a result of encountering Christ in our lives. Saint Augustine said this, you flash, you shone, you chased away blindness. You became fragrant and I inhaled inside for you. I tasted it and now hunger and thirst for you. You touch me and I burn for your embrace. Do you have times in your life that you're just walking around and you sense Him so close? He's more real. He's more concerned about everything about Pete's life than just Pete being an extraordinary

revelatory preacher. And I'm learning He's more concerned. He's in everything you're doing and He wants to be involved. And it come to my mind and it said, you know, come as a little child. And I think about this. I thought about Anita's grandson, Jacob. And I would be doing something and He's right behind me. And one of the times I was bent over and I was trying to do something, He comes through my legs. And I don't know, it may not have meant anything to you, but the Lord spoke to me and He said, that's the way I want to be in your life. I want to be so involved in your life and I want you so involved in my life that you come as a little child. He come within us. He didn't care if it was unorthodox. He didn't think about that being bad or good or ugly or anything. I believe God's that way with us. I believe God is so consumed with us that He wants to sit around the campfire with us and like He did with the boys and say, you know, you haven't caught any fish, but I've cooked you some. I think He wants to be so involved in our lives that it's just not about going to church on Wednesday and Sunday and Tuesday, but it's really about an intimate relationship that when you're away, He's just as close as He is when you're there. The only reason we come together is to heal each other. But we can't heal each other if we haven't been healed ourselves in the intimate time with Him. Go to Psalms 34, Psalms 34, oh taste and see that the Lord's good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him. See guys, you don't understand. Grab that, underline it, highlight it.

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him. He don't have a choice. He loves us so much, He's got to bless us. Look at verse 9, oh fear the Lord, you His saints. There is no want to those who fear Him. There's no want to those who fear Him. And ask yourself a question. The Bible, you know, I heard people say, well God only gives you what you need. He says there'll be no want to those who fear Me. There'll be no want to those who fear Me. There'll be no want to those who fear Me. Look at verse 10. The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. You'll not lack any good thing. Grace and mercy will follow us all the days of our life. Why? Because we're following Him and He's our source. He's my desire. I'm not depending on Pete for nothing anymore. He's all I got. So He longs to be with me. He longs to be with you. Go to Isaiah 44. I'll pour water on him who's thirsty and floods on the dry ground I'll pour my spirit on your descendants and my blessings on your offsprings. I'll feel your empty desires I'll put my Holy Spirit in you and I'll pour my spirit on your descendants and Every one of your children to be blessed the blood and my blessing a beat on your offspring Guys, do you understand that? He loves you that much and he's longing this bit All he wants you to do is come away with him and I'm not talking about come up to us

I'm not coming get in his presence and just rest in him. That's what he's longing for Listen we're so consumed with did I see and did I miss it? He don't care He don't even care. He's conquered that problem. What he's concerned about is you He's like the father standing at the winner when they're waiting for the prodigal son to come down the road All he's waiting for you to do is come to him and jump in his arms and love him and hug him and hold him Do not when you get home just run and jump in up on the bed and grab a pillow and pull it to them and say Lord, I thank you that you love me so much. You say you crazy man. I'm telling you to work though That's faith ain't it Look at Psalms 8110 and I'm through I'm the Lord your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt open up your mouth wide and I'll feel it guys Open up your mouth wide and I'll feel it We are so consumed with what we don't have that. We can't be thankful. Enjoy what we do have We may have two or three things in our life. That's fluttering. But my god, look at the roller coaster overwhelming abundance That's already coming into your life. Listen, listen to me. Listen to me Listen to me very carefully If you got a happy home, you're blessed in America today If you got a good husband and wife you may have some issues praise the Lord for those issues Because one balances out the other but if you got somebody that you love and somebody loves you man That's the greatest gift you can ever have in the world that loves more addictive than crack It is and As we take so many things for granted we take every day for granted we take that person for granted We take that situation for granted We take that circumstance for the granted you walk by people every day and it may be the last day you ever see them Maybe the last time you ever get to say, you know what man? I appreciate you But we go right on about our business because it's about us And it's about our destiny. It's about our planet. It's about me and my four no more. That wasn't Jesus Jesus said I've come to fulfill the will of the Father I'm only here to fulfill the will of the Father. I've only come to do his purpose I'm not talking about preaching here guys. I'm not talking about preaching preaching is a small minute thing

You get your house in order before you get anybody else's house in order But if you got your house in order, you got you got a lot going on today I'm Ted. That's the greatest ministry you can have in your life Thank you for joining us today at power in the word all of us here at Harvest Fellowship Church want you to know that God is not mad with you, but He loves you so very much And He has a plan for your life Please feel free to contact us here at Harvest Fellowship Church at our website harvestfellowshipchurch.net So until next week, please remember there's power in the word You You I'll never forget one day God spoke to me. He said son. There's people praying for your problems. They'd love to have your problems Guys you need to get I'm gonna make statements gonna be coming strong for this while so everybody swallow 90% of your problems is because you got your mind on you 99% of the time If you mine ain't on you, you ain't got no problems because you can't see them. Think about it a minute. Ninety-nine percent of your problems is between your ears. And it's about you. Well, I'm having it tough. I'm going through difficult situations. Poor old pitiful me. Well, let's have a party for you. Right? Jesus walked the earth for thirty-three years and nobody liked him. He died so Pete could live right now. Even before Pete came along, God was on my mind. And he had his desires toward me. When I think about my problems. You know, Aaron, he loves me. I know he does. But he wouldn't, he wouldn't, if it comes between me and him dying,

he'd say, Pete, you gotta go, bro. Must be your number. Think about it a minute. Think about it a minute. Jesus died. God gave his only begotten son for me and you. And yet, I'm gonna sit around and live a sorrowful life and a sad life and a gloom and doom life when he's died for me and given me life. One or two things has happened. He didn't give us all the same life or we don't believe it. He gave us life. And life more abundantly. He longs for you. I want you to walk out of here tonight and I want you to think about this. He longs for you. Who did you walk by today that needed you, but you had your mind on you? Who did you ride by today, side of the road, and maybe the Holy Spirit just tugged you. Maybe we need to help that person right there a little bit. I got an appointment I got to be at. Because you know I am important. Somebody got the buzzer telling me to quit. It's 8 o'clock. God loves us guys. He loves us. Do we believe it? Then why don't you give him everything?

I ain't talking about giving away nothing. I'm talking about getting your mind off of yourself and your situation and your circumstances and put your mind on somebody else. You remember old Job? For nine months he sat in ash cloth and shaved his head. Went through a pity party, lost his family, lost everything he had. And all of a sudden his friends come around and said, man you must have done something wrong. He didn't talk. But after a while he began to pray for other people. And God lifted him up from that and gave him double everything he had. You're never going to get out of your situation when it's about you. Because if, listen to me, when it's about you, that's who you depend on. What you think about is what you depend on. Don't shut me down. What you think about is what you depend on. So where's your mind ninety percent of the day? Is it on your God? If it's on you, that's who you depend on. If it's on Him, that's who you depend on. You know God spoke to me last week and He said, Pete, you're thinking about you too much. Get your mind off you. You know why I'm preaching this? Because I'm guilty. Not because I got it. Not because I figured it all out. But I know that God's trying to get us to smell the roses. Smell the roses. Smell the roses. You know our first messages went last week into the prisons.

And I forgot how many hits we had. There was a bunch of them. Another one went on Monday. I forgot how many. Eleven hundred. Something like that. In four days. Just in the prisons in North Carolina. People are hungry for somebody to love them. To know somebody has an answer and somebody cares. I'm going to leave you with a thought tonight. What is ninety percent of your mind thinking about? You or somebody else? Father, in the name of Jesus, I just thank you tonight. Not in condemning your people. But Lord, let your burning love consume your people. I want to ignite a fire in people tonight. To spend time with you. Lord, we love you. We thank you. And we glorify your name. In Jesus' name we pray. And everybody say it. Amen. God bless you guys. Have a wonderful, wonderful night.