30 Dec Drawing Near to God #4

Drawing Near God Overview

In this powerful fourth installment of ‘Drawing Near to God,’ Pastor explores the urgent need for believers to cultivate intimacy with God in these challenging times. Drawing from James 4:7-10, he addresses how persecution and worldly pressures can cause Christians to compromise their relationship with God. The message reveals how the early church faced similar challenges, being scattered and persecuted, leading to divided loyalties between God and the world. Using Moses’ encounter with the burning bush as a key illustration, Pastor emphasizes that drawing near to God is our responsibility – God speaks when we choose to move closer to Him. The sermon warns against religious dependency on others for spiritual encounters, calling believers to mature into personal, intimate relationships with the Father. With references to a prophetic vision of mountains rising across the region, symbolizing spiritual awakening, this message challenges listeners to recognize God’s voice above the many competing voices in today’s world and to live from heavenly perspectives rather than earthly compromises.

Drawing Near God Outline

• 0:00 – Vision of Rising Mountains: Pastor shares prophetic vision of mountains rising, symbolizing the call to draw near to God.
• 3:00 – James’ Letter to Persecuted Church: Context of James 4:7-10 and the early church’s struggle with divided loyalties.
• 8:00 – Mourning for Lost Presence: The importance of grieving when God’s presence becomes distant in our lives.
• 12:00 – Moses and the Burning Bush: How Moses had to choose to draw near before God spoke to him.
• 16:00 – Personal Intimacy vs Religion: The difference between knowing about God and knowing God personally.
• 20:00 – Many Voices in the World: Learning to distinguish God’s voice from the multitude of competing voices.
• 25:00 – Testing the Spirits: Using 1 John 4:1-2 to discern true spiritual guidance from false prophecy.

Scripture References

James 4:7-10, 1 John 4:1-2, 1 John 5:7-8, Romans 8:14, Matthew 16:13-17, John 10:10, Ezekiel 36-37

Key Takeaways

• Drawing near to God is our responsibility, not something we passively wait for Him to do.
• Like Moses at the burning bush, God speaks when we make the choice to move closer to Him.
• Persecution and worldly pressures can create divided loyalties that distance us from God’s presence.
• We must learn to distinguish God’s voice from the many competing voices in our world today.
• True Christianity involves personal intimacy with God, not just religious activities or dependence on others.
• The Spirit of God will never contradict the Word of God – they are one and must align.
• Spiritual maturity requires us to find God ourselves during life’s pressures and challenges.

Drawing Near God Notes

This compelling message addresses one of the most critical needs facing believers today: the urgent necessity of drawing near to God in an increasingly hostile world. Pastor begins by sharing a prophetic vision of mountains rising across the region, explaining that scripturally, mountains represent drawing near to God. This vision came during a time of corporate prayer, revealing God’s heart for His people to pursue deeper intimacy with Him.The foundation scripture comes from James 4:7-10, written by Jesus’ half-brother to encourage a severely persecuted first-century church. These believers faced incredible hardships – they were scattered, defrauded, and treated as the ‘off-scouring of the earth.’ Under such pressure, they began compromising with the world, hoping to find relief from their suffering. James addresses their divided loyalty, calling them back to wholehearted devotion to God.The message powerfully illustrates this principle through Moses’ encounter with the burning bush. Moses could have simply walked past this supernatural phenomenon while tending sheep, but he made a deliberate choice to investigate. Significantly, God didn’t speak until Moses drew near to the bush. This demonstrates a crucial spiritual principle: God responds to our initiative in seeking Him. We cannot passively wait for God to show up during crises while ignoring His presence during peaceful times.Pastor emphasizes the difference between knowing about God through religious instruction versus knowing God through personal encounter. He references Jesus’ conversation with His disciples about His identity, highlighting how Peter’s revelation came not through teaching but through divine revelation received in intimacy with the Father. This personal knowledge of God becomes the foundation upon which Christ builds His church.The sermon addresses a critical challenge in our current era: learning to discern God’s voice among the cacophony of competing voices. Every aspect of life – money, jobs, relationships, emotions, and even Satan himself – has a voice that speaks to us. The enemy counterfeits God’s voice, making it sound like our own thoughts or the counsel of others. Spiritual maturity requires developing the ability to distinguish God’s authentic voice from these counterfeits.Using 1 John 4:1-2, the message teaches about testing spiritual voices and prophecies. The illustration of the Old Testament prophet who was deceived by another prophet claiming divine revelation serves as a sobering reminder that convenience or personal desire should never validate what we believe to be God’s direction. The Spirit of God and the Word of God are one – they never contradict each other.The message concludes with a call to spiritual maturity, moving beyond religious dependency on pastors and priests during crises toward personal responsibility in maintaining intimacy with God. Just as children require more care than mature adults, spiritual babies need more assistance, but growth demands increasing personal responsibility for our relationship with God. This maturity becomes essential as we approach what Pastor describes as a time of one-world government and increasing anti-Christ sentiment globally.

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