╨╧рб▒с>■ :<■ 9 ье┴Бb Ё┐wjbjbЎ┼Ў┼ $(ЬзЬзw И.......Шаааам$Ш┘╢▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄PRRRRRR,ПRсn~.▄▄▄▄▄~P..▄▄УPPP▄.▄.▄PPB4v"....▄PPP..P╨iхк┼аЄ^PPй0┘POPOPP.ШШD▄─ ШШ▄Drawing Near to God James 4:8 Introduction: Here we are given a wonderful invitation and a glorious promise. The invitation is to draw near to God. The promise is God will draw near to you. If anyone of us received a personal invitation from the President to visit the White House, or if perhaps the Queen of England personally invited us to dine with her and the royal family at Buckingham palace, IТm sure that we would make every possible effort to comply with their request. Well, one greater than the President and the Queen and all the great men and women of history combined has personally invited us to draw near. LetТs look at how to draw near to God. Lets do that first by considering some of the obstacles we might face in our attempt to draw near. I. Obstacles Three obstacles to drawing near to God are mentioned here in the passage we read together. A. The World- Friendship with the World. 1. What does the Bible mean when it speaks of the world in this negative sense? a. Not the world of nature (unless you worship nature), not the world of culture, i.e. music, art, literature, science etc. (unless you worship culture), not the world of humanity (unless you worship humanity in some ideological sense). b. The world that James is warning us about can be summed up in the word УgodlessФ. It is the philosophy that permeates the whole world that says in essence, the less of God the better. This world system is driven by fallen human passions, material possessions and the lust for power and position. The apostle John defines the world as, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. 1Jn 2:16 2. What is friendship with the World? a. Living to fulfill your passions, living to accumulate possessions, living to attain power and position. 3. You cannot be a friend of the world and simultaneously draw near to God. B. The Devil- opposes our drawing near to God by: 1. Tempting us. 2. Discouraging us. 3. Distracting us. C. The Flesh- Sinners and double minded. 1. The evil tendencies of the flesh. (That which I would not, that I do.) 2. The weakness of the flesh. (The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.) D. If I am going to draw near to God I must overcome these obstacles by rejecting the world, resisting the devil and refusing the flesh! II. The Invitation- Draw Near to God A. The Prerequisites to Drawing Near. 1. Obedience- Submit to God. 2. Faith- He that comes to God must believe that He is. B. Drawing Near- 1. Meditating on the Word- 2. Prayer- 3.Praise and Worship- 4. The Fellowship of the Saints- God you are my God; early will I seek you; My soul thirst for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for you in the Sanctuary, to see your power and your glory. Ps 63 Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slippedЕ Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understoodЕ Ps 73 How lovely is your tabernacle O Lord of host! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living GodЕ For a day in our courts is better than a thousandЕ Ps 84 III. The Promise- He (God) will draw near to you. 1. In the Word- HeТll draw near by giving understanding, wisdom and direction. 2. In Prayer- HeТll draw near by answered prayer. 3. In Praise and Worship- HeТll draw near by giving us a sense of peace, comfort, assurance, love and best of all His presence. 4. In Fellowship- Teaching, exhortation, prophecies, gifts etc. Close: The invitation has been given the promise has been made. Let us draw near with a true heart. If youТve joined us here today and you donТt know Christ HeТs inviting you to draw near. Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 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