• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
archived service at ggwo.org/gml
It Is Good To Draw Near To God 
by Pastor Thomas SchallerMay 27, 2009Unedited
Thank you Lord. I want to speak about drawing near to God.So, I'd like to turn to a few places in the Scripture. Did you hear PastorScibelli just now? I know you did, but what did he say? IT IS GOD!That's at the heart of our lives. We had a tremendous weekend. PastorCarl really ministered to us. The Spirit spoke to our hearts. WE knowthat the basis of our lives is GOD. We are learning to draw near toGod...First, James 4. Good to have Pastor Mark back from Norway. I thinkyour wife and children are still there. They are there beingNorwegianized. Are you going to do a Friday night worship Pastor?Would you like to do one this Friday? This Friday is Africa night! We'llwork on that...Ok!James 4:8 - draw near to God. vs 7 - submit to God... resist the deviland he'll flee from you. Do you believe that? You just resist him andhe's gone. He can't deal with us. Literally! That's another message.vs 8 - draw near to God, and He'll draw near to you. Now turn toHebrews chap. 2:3 - how shall we escape if we neglect so gt. asalvation?One thing that happens to us as believers is, we neglect. Its not thatwe are rebellious, but we neglect this gt. salvation. We are notengaged in it. We're not listening, paying attention. This happens. Thisslips away. This is the phrase in vs 1. We ought to give more earnestheed to the things we've heard lest they slip.I was married. I had a ring on my finger. I was a missionary inFinland. One day, my wife said to me, where's your ring? It slipped off.I didn't even notice it. Sometimes, in our lives, a great salvation givento us slips. We don't realize we lost something that was very preciousand powerful to us. So, Draw near to God. How? What is that? Howdoes that work?(2) vs 8 - harden not your heart, evil heart of unbelief. We draw away
 
archived service at ggwo.org/gml
bec. of neglect. Look at that. In our heart, there is some error, somehardness. I love the Psalms bec. many of them start kind of negative.The Psalmist, in 88, starts negative and ends negative. Ps 22 startsnegative, O my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Then, in vs22, he turns the corner saying, I will...Its easy to be hurt and introuble in this life. Keep Sedoni in prayer. She had a stroke and is inrecovery...Is it possible for us to not draw near to God? The answer is YES!Look at Heb. 4. This is a chap. of unbelief. Why do we draw away?bec. of unbelief. We have a new brother in the church. We encouragedhim to beleive God. Its all possible. Draw near to God. Walk by faith.I like this phrase. It came to my heart a couple days ago as I thoughtof Dr. Stevens. Elijah said, My father, My father in 2 Kings 2. Here, wehave the chap. 4, and how unbelief is one reason people don't drawnear to God. They can't believe that God will change anything. THeydon't believe God makes a difference. God is in it all. It is God in it all.In Chap. 5, they were dull of hearing, vs 11. In Chap. 6, they wereslothful, vs 12. Dull of hearing, unbelief, evil heart, neglecting. All of this we are so familiar with. In chap. 10, they had the law. One thingthat will prevent us from drawing near to God is the law. The law wehave in our own heart, that condemns us, that makes a wall betweenus and God, the God of all grace. Its possible for us to withdraw fromGod.in vs 22 - they withdrew from the assembly. Let us, vs 25, not forsakethe assembly. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. REally?yes. God will draw near to us.Think of a man with his wife. He is separated. Pastor Minicello, his wifeis in Norway tonight. Some days and weeks will pass. He will long tosee his wife. In our faith, the same things happens. When we arebrought so close to God, we are in Jesus and He is in us. The HSmakes Him so intimate. One thing we long for is intimacy. I love to beintimate with God, and God's people. This is where our fellowship is.We love it. We hunger for it. All these words: neglect, hard heart,unbelief, dull hearing, withdrawal, legalism and the law, this is so easyto happen in our lives.Now, turn to Psalm 73 with me and we'll continue. Look how long thisPsalm is. Its 28 verses. Do you see that? Its a long Psalm...to read it.Its the longest Psalm I've ever seen. No it isnt'.
 
archived service at ggwo.org/gml
God is good to Israel...As for me, I say, I'm not like Pastor Scibelli, butyou are, but you may have a diff. impression. You may have theimpression that he's an awesome man of God, and he is. We oftencompare. he's not, but we do this. As for me, my feet were gone...Iwas envious at the foolish, when I saw the wicked prosper.We could put many things in that verse. I was sick suddenly. I askedGod, Why? I lost a job that I loved. I asked God, Why? I lost a familymemeber? It hurt me much. I don't know what to do about it. I feellike drawing away. I'm dull of hearing. I don't want to hear anymore.I'm hurt so badly. I neglect, I don't pay attention any more. If youdon't think this is for you, I tell you, this Psalm is for you. There arepeople who have checked out.Now, if we could understand how to draw near to God: (1) by und'ghis nature more accurately. Ung'd his power, love, wisdom, his way,who He is. Then, we will draw near to him no matter what comes ourway in life. When we draw near to him, He will come close to you.That's the intimacy that we hunger for. He will. But, in a trial, we feelthe other way. Our emotions, our mind, our reasoning gets in the way.Bitterness came into Esau. Don't let a root of bitterness trouble you.Hebrews was written to believers. Draw near to God, and He will drawso close to you, that you will feel and sense Him. Its the mysticalnature of God, and his power and comfort in your heart.Ps 73:4 - they are not in trouble like other men...therefore pridecomes...their eyes stand out with fatness...they have more than heartcan wish. What do you have? Opposition by Pharoah? We live inGoshen. Moses, what do you have? Conflict! We have manna in thedesert. God gave us this. Its good for us to draw near to God.If you have your life planned out, be careful! Its good for us to drawnear to God. Its is God. For those in Ruwanda...its God. For the plan of God in our life, Its God. Everything being dished out to you, its God.There is a tendency to not draw near. We feel that we are drivenaway, very disappointed and hurt.Lets skip down to vs 12, these are the ungodly who prosper...theyincrease in riches. Verily, I have washed my hands in vain...for all daylong, I've been plagued and chastened every morning. THey arewealthy, fat, and I have lived a godly life and he's saying it, It's all invain.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...