Drawing Near to God #1

Drawing Near God Overview

In this opening message of a new series, the pastor introduces the foundational call of the Christian life: drawing near to God. Sparked by a prophetic vision of mountains rising across Wisconsin, the message unpacks the biblical symbolism of mountains as places of intimate encounter with God, from Moses at Sinai to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Drawing from Romans 1:20, Psalm 72:3, James 4:1-10, and Jeremiah 29:11-14, the pastor challenges believers to move beyond a religious knowledge of God into a genuine, personal relationship with Him. He addresses the danger of spiritual adultery, where people claim faith yet pursue the world’s pleasures rather than God’s presence. With pastoral warmth and personal illustrations, including the story of a wealthy man miraculously healed before surgery, the message calls listeners to humility, repentance, and wholehearted pursuit of God. The series sets the stage for practical teaching on how believers can truly come close to God and experience His peace, provision, and transforming presence in daily life.

Drawing Near God Outline

• 00:00 – Introduction and the Vision of Mountains: The pastor shares a prophetic vision of mountains rising across Wisconsin during a Wednesday night prayer meeting and begins connecting it to the upcoming series on drawing near to God.
• 06:30 – What Creation Reveals About God: Using Romans 1:20 and the rejection of God seen in society, the pastor explains how creation testifies to God’s eternal power and what happens when people refuse to acknowledge Him.
• 13:00 – Mountains in Scripture Mean Drawing Near God: Psalm 72:3 is opened to show that mountains symbolize drawing near to God, and righteousness brings peace. The pastor connects the vision to the spiritual hunger rising in Wisconsin and beyond.
• 20:00 – Baptism, Belief, and True Salvation: Addressing a question from a church member about Mark 16, the pastor explains the four baptisms in Scripture and what it truly means to be submerged into Christ rather than just intellectually acknowledging Him.
• 27:30 – The Call to Humility in James 4: James 4:1-10 is read and unpacked, showing how quarrels, lust, and spiritual adultery arise when believers want what God offers without wanting God Himself. The posture of humility is presented as the key to divine favor.
• 34:00 – God Is Jealous for Your Love: The pastor teaches on the name of God as Jealous from Exodus 34, explaining that because God is love, jealousy is attached to that love. He desires to be the consuming love of our lives.
• 40:00 – Moses at the Burning Bush: Exodus 3:1-6 is examined to show that God waited until Moses turned toward the burning bush before speaking. The act of drawing near is what activated the divine encounter and commissioned a life.
• 46:00 – Jeremiah 29 and God’s Marvelous Destiny for You: Jeremiah 29:11-14 is read in two translations to emphasize that God’s plans require a wholehearted search. He promises to be found, to restore, and to fulfill when His people genuinely seek Him.
• 51:00 – Closing Exhortation and Prayer of Commitment: The pastor calls everyone, including those who have only known God religiously, to draw near through a prayer of surrender, asking for the Holy Spirit, a new heart, and a daily commitment to pursue God’s presence.

Scripture References

Romans 1:20, Psalm 72:3, Isaiah 57, Romans 5:17, Galatians 6:7, Mark 16:16, Acts 17:28, Colossians 3:1, Psalm 121:1-2, James 4:1-10, Exodus 34:14, Philippians 2:8, Psalm 8:3-9, Romans 14:23, Exodus 3:1-6, Ezekiel 36, Jeremiah 29:11-14

Key Takeaways

• Drawing near to God is not a passive religious posture but an active, wholehearted pursuit that changes who you are from the inside out.
• Mountains in Scripture consistently represent the place where humanity encounters God intimately, and God is raising up people with that hunger today.
• True salvation means being baptized into Christ, submerged in His love and grace, not merely acknowledging facts about Him while living unchanged.
• God is jealous for your love because He is love, and jealousy is inseparable from genuine love that desires an exclusive and intimate relationship.
• Humility is the posture of the Kingdom: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, and it was humility that exalted Jesus above every name.
• God does not speak until we turn toward Him, just as He waited for Moses to move toward the burning bush before calling him by name.
• When you search for God wholeheartedly, He promises to be found, to restore what was lost, and to surround you with a future glistening with hope.

Drawing Near God Notes

Prophetic Vision Launches the Series

The series begins with a prophetic vision received during a Wednesday night prayer meeting in which the pastor saw steep mountains rapidly rising across Wisconsin and spreading throughout the state. Rather than keeping it private, he shared it immediately with those present and then searched Scripture for its meaning. Psalm 72:3 provided the key: mountains represent people drawing near to God in righteousness, which produces peace. The vision became the prophetic backdrop for an entire teaching series calling the congregation and the region into deeper intimacy with their Creator.

Mountains Symbolize Encounter with God

Throughout Scripture, mountains are the settings of the most significant divine encounters. Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai. Jesus was transfigured on a mountaintop where Moses and Elijah appeared and the Father spoke audibly. David looked to the hills and declared his help came from the Lord. The pastor argues this is not coincidental but theological: mountains in the biblical imagination represent the place where heaven touches earth, where humanity steps out of the ordinary and draws close to the presence of God. That same draw is stirring in hearts across Wisconsin today.

Spiritual Adultery Versus Intimate Faith

James 4 addresses believers directly, calling those who love the world’s pleasures more than God’s presence adulterers. The pastor makes the sharp distinction between knowing about God and actually knowing Him. Just as a person could memorize an athlete’s statistics without truly knowing that athlete, a believer can accumulate theological facts without ever experiencing God’s presence. True friendship with God, like any meaningful relationship, requires time, attention, and a heart that genuinely desires the other person, not merely the benefits they provide.

Humility as the Gateway to God’s Presence

James 4:10 and the life of Jesus both demonstrate that humility is not weakness but the very posture that unlocks divine favor. God created Adam by kneeling in the dust and breathing life into him. Jesus entered the world through a manger, washed feet as a servant, and rode a donkey into Jerusalem. He humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross, and because of that humility every knee will bow. The pastor challenges listeners to recognize that pride is self-sufficient and does not seek intimacy with God, while humility acknowledges total dependence and receives everything God has to offer.

Moses and the Burning Bush Principle

Exodus 3 reveals a striking pattern: God set a burning bush before Moses, but He did not speak until Moses decided to turn and investigate. The moment Moses drew near, God called his name, commissioned his life, and revealed His eternal identity. The pastor applies this directly: God is always present, always ready to speak, but He responds to movement. When you take a step toward Him, even in curiosity or need, He calls your name. Drawing near is what makes ordinary ground holy ground and ordinary moments into life-changing divine encounters.

Jeremiah’s Promise Requires Wholehearted Seeking

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted verses in contemporary Christianity, but the pastor draws attention to the verses that follow. God promises a future and a hope, but verses 12 through 14 reveal the condition: you must pray, you must seek Him, and you must do so wholeheartedly. The Passion Translation renders it vividly: a marvelous destiny planned in detail, peace and prosperity, a future glistening with hope, and the promise that God will not disappoint those who truly reach out. Everything God wants to restore depends on the posture of genuine, wholehearted pursuit.

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