Draw Near to the Lord
by: Matt Allen
FILING INFORMATION:
96024
04/21/1996 - Brownsburg, IN
I. Introduction
A. It
is human nature to want to draw near to something. Most people do not like to be lonely.
1. Do
some unimaginable things every now and then to just to be with
someone/something.
2. Give
great sacrifice of time/love/money to the ones & things we love.
B. Spend more time drawing near to the temporal things of the world than we
do trying to be near to the Lord.
1. This
is sad. And it shouldn’t be this
way.
2. The
Lord gave his Son to die on the cross for us.
3. We
should want to draw near to Him.
C. The
Psalmist knew of the importance of “Drawing Near to the Lord.” Read Psa. 73:28...
1. Do
we feel this way?
D. In
this lesson, we are going to see what happens when we draw near to the
Lord. By the end of this lesson,
you should be able to answer:
1. Am I
drawing Near the Lord?
II. When we Draw Near to God, We Draw:
A. Away
from ourselves.
1. This
should be the nature of a Christian: drawing away from focusing only upon oneself. World full of people who are focused upon themselves only.
2. Paul
said in Romans 12:3:
a. What
does “soberly” mean here?
1. to
be modest, sober or prudent.
b. We
need a humble & modest estimate of our own character.
3. This
was a steady practice with Paul. He put his own wishes aside and focused upon what God wanted him to do.
a. 1
Cor. 9:27 - He buffeted his body
daily. He subjected the things he
wanted to do for himself to the things that Christ wanted him to do.
b. His
attitude was guided by Christ. Where is our attitude sometimes? Centered only on the things we want? This is not right.
4. Jesus said in Matt. 16:24 - If
anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and
follow me. We need to be doing
this.
B. Drawing Away from the World.
1. John
said by inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1 Jn. 2:15-17...
a. Many
have not given up the things in the world. They try their best to hang on to them as much as possible
while holding onto Christ.
b. Not
saying we cannot have friends & acquaintences with people of the world -
that is impossible.
1. But,
we should try our best to have strong ties to fellow Christians. This is imperative for good solid
growth as a Christian.
2. Paul
went on to say in Rom. 12:2...
a. Instead of conforming to the world - we need to comform to Christ and
His word. By doing so, we will
grow in Him.
b. Paul
says to be transformed. What does
it mean to be transformed? To be
changed into something totally new & different from the thing before.
1. Ref.
back to Rom. 6:6. It is the
putting off of the old man of sin. Getting away from the old habits the man of sin engaged in. These are all examples of being
transformed from the world.
3. 1
Jn. 5:4
a. Our
faith can overcome the world! Faith is our victory!
1. If
we put our trust & faith in the Lord, we will overcome the wiles of the
devil.
b. As
we draw nearer to Him - our faith will increase! These two go hand in hand!
c. We
will have faith in Jesus that He will deliver us through our various trials.
d. When
we draw near to the Lord, we draw away from the world and depending upon it.
C. We
Draw Near to One Another.
1. We
draw near those who have a like precious faith. This is according to what is written in 2 Peter 1:1.
a. Isn’t it great to know that we have the support of the greatest people
in the world??!!
2. It
should give us great comfort and a certain peace of mind. Paul expressed this in Phil. 1:2.
a. As
Christians, we need to care about one another & look after one another.
b. We
can’t do this if we are trying to hang onto the world.
3. What
are some reasons why we do not grow closer to one another?
a. Because doing so would show others that we maybe aren’t living as we
should.
b. Some
feel it corny.
c. Don’t make time to do so.
4. As
Christians we have something special that those in the world do not have - a
genuine love for Christ, and a genuine love and care for fellow Christians.
a. Gives me great joy to be able to walk into some place of total strangers
and feel welcome. This is because
of the attitude shown in Acts 4:32.
5. Are
you trying to draw near to God and fellow Christians or to the world.
D. We
Away from doubts & fears.
1. In
Mt. 26:58, was Peter trying to “Draw Near to Jesus?” Of course not. Certainly this is explained in verses 69-75.
a. Peter was following at a distance & and from the context of the
verses, didn’t have enough faith in the Lord to admit he had followed Him.
b. It
got him into trouble and cause him to deny Christ 3 times overwhich caused him
great emotional agony.
2. When
we Draw Near to God - We Draw to Him for strength and courage.
a. We
draw near to His word - which will erase doubts from our minds.
b. Paul
said in Rom. 14:23...
1. The
more study of the Scriptures, the more clear the truth becomes.
3. Mt.
14:29-31
a. Peter had gone out on the water & was walking. He became afraid and at once began to
sink. He called out to Jesus for
help.
1. Jesus responded and helped Peter.
b. When
we run into problems, instead of turning to men, we need to turn to Jesus for
help and strength.
4. He
will help us if we will give Him a chance!
III. Conclusion.
A. Are
you drawing nearer to the Lord for strength and growth as a Christian.
1. To
grow near to anyone, anything else will lead one down the wrong road.
B. Why
not come to Him today?