Drawing Near to God #3

Drawing Near God Overview

In this third installment of the Drawing Near to God series, the pastor of NTC Ministries opens with a foundational reminder that God desires intimate fellowship with every believer, not merely religious performance. Drawing from James 4:7-10, Psalms 34:18, 145:18, and 1 Chronicles 16:27-31, the message explores what it truly means to pursue the manifest presence of God rather than simply His benefits. The pastor illustrates the difference between the omnipresence of God and His manifest presence, using vivid examples from the life of Moses at the burning bush, David recovering the Ark of the Covenant, and Brother Lawrence’s classic practice of continual communion with God. A striking personal story of thirteen people spontaneously approaching the pastor in a grocery store during a three-week fast powerfully demonstrates how God’s tangible presence draws others without a single word spoken. The sermon calls believers to move beyond transactional Christianity into a lifestyle of drawing near, where glory, honor, strength, and gladness become the natural fruit of dwelling in His presence. The message closes with communion and a prayer of surrender, inviting everyone to experience the life-changing reality of God’s nearness.

Drawing Near God Outline

• 00:00 – Series Introduction and the Method of Teaching: The pastor recaps the Drawing Near to God series, explaining the biblical principle of teaching line upon line from Isaiah, and why progressive revelation through a series builds lasting understanding.
• 05:30 – Jesus as Apostle and High Priest Negotiating a Truce: Using the historical context of Rome’s ekklesia system, the pastor explains how Jesus came as the ultimate apostle to negotiate peace between God and mankind, revealing the Father’s true character.
• 13:00 – The Difference Between Performance and Presence: A marriage analogy challenges listeners to examine whether they want God for what He does or for who He is, distinguishing between seeking His performance and genuinely longing for His manifest presence.
• 20:00 – James 4:7-10 and Drawing Close to God: The pastor walks through James 4:7-10 in the New Living Translation, unpacking the conditions of humility, repentance, and a broken heart that invite God’s manifest presence to draw near.
• 28:00 – Moses, the Burning Bush, and Initiated Proximity: The account of Moses at the burning bush illustrates that God waited until Moses drew near before speaking, revealing that divine encounter is triggered by intentional approach, not passive presence.
• 34:00 – Four Gifts Found in God’s Presence: From 1 Chronicles 16:27-31, the pastor unpacks four transformative gifts resident in God’s presence: glory, honor, strength (Oz), and gladness (kadva), each carrying deep Hebrew meaning for daily life.
• 42:00 – The Glory That Exceeds Moses and 2 Corinthians 3: Paul’s contrast in 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 between the fading glory of the law and the surpassing glory of the Spirit is used to show that New Covenant believers are promised even greater manifestation.
• 47:00 – Brother Lawrence and Practicing the Presence Daily: The pastor references Brother Lawrence’s timeless book and quotes to encourage believers that the presence of God can be cultivated at work, at home, and in every ordinary moment of life.
• 51:00 – Communion as Practicing the Presence of God: The service moves into communion, with the pastor connecting the Lord’s Supper directly to the theme of drawing near, inviting believers to welcome God’s presence into every area of life.

Scripture References

Isaiah 28:10-13, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Galatians 4:4, John 14:6, Ezekiel 36, James 4:7-10, Psalms 121:1-2, Psalms 34:18, Psalms 145:18, 1 Chronicles 16:27-31, 2 Corinthians 3:7-11, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 62:1-2, Romans 15:13, Hebrews 4:16, Matthew 17

Key Takeaways

• Drawing near to God is a deliberate act initiated by the believer, and Scripture promises that when you draw close to Him, He will draw close to you.
• God desires your presence, not your performance; He is sovereign and needs nothing from you, yet He created you simply for fellowship and intimacy.
• There is a crucial difference between God’s omnipresence, which is everywhere always, and His manifest presence, which is tangible, transformative, and experiential.
• In the presence of God, four powerful gifts are released into your life: glory that changes your appearance, honor that fills your deepest need to be valued, strength that makes you stable and secure, and gladness that joins you to the Lord Himself.
• A divided heart, torn between God and the world, is the primary reason believers fail to experience the manifest presence of God in their daily lives.
• The presence of God is not confined to a church building but can be cultivated at work, at home, and in every ordinary moment through continual awareness of His goodness and faithfulness.
• Communion is not merely a ritual but a tangible practice of drawing near to God, declaring His death and resurrection until He comes, and welcoming His presence into every area of life.

Drawing Near God Notes

The Difference Presence Makes

The central thrust of this message is a sharp and necessary distinction between two ways of relating to God. Many believers know God by His actions and seek Him for what He can provide, healing, provision, protection. But the pastor draws a poignant marriage analogy to expose the shallowness of this approach. If your heart breaks more over your spouse missing a chore than over their absence, your relationship is built on utility, not love. God calls His people to grieve over His perceived absence and to hunger for His actual nearness. This is the biblical definition of a living relationship with God, one where the heart genuinely aches without His manifest presence.

Four Treasures Hidden in His Presence

From 1 Chronicles 16:27-31, the pastor identifies four gifts that exist only where God dwells. Glory, meaning a visible beauty and excellency that changes how a person appears to others. Honor, the Hebrew word Hadar, meaning to be esteemed, valued, and desired, which meets the deepest human longing for significance. Strength, the Hebrew word Oz, meaning to stand firm, be bold, and have security and force without aggression. And gladness, kadva in Hebrew, meaning to rejoice and, significantly, to be joined to the Lord. These four realities are not earned by effort but released through proximity to God, making His presence the most practical pursuit a believer can undertake.

Moses and the Initiative of Drawing Near

The account of Moses on the back side of the desert is one of the sermon’s most compelling illustrations. A bush burned without being consumed, yet God did not speak until Moses chose to draw near and investigate. The pastor makes a bold and sobering observation: if Moses had simply walked past, God would have said nothing. This is not a picture of an indifferent God, but of one who honors the initiative of a seeking heart. The principle is clear and consistent throughout Scripture. God reveals Himself to those who turn aside from the ordinary to pursue the extraordinary reality of His presence.

Brother Lawrence and Everyday Communion

The pastor references the seventeenth-century French monk Brother Lawrence, whose book Practicing the Presence of God has shaped Christian devotion for centuries. Brother Lawrence taught that God’s presence is not reserved for moments of formal prayer or church gatherings but can be cultivated in the most mundane tasks, washing dishes, working in a kitchen, or walking through a marketplace. His prayer, asking God to work with him so his labor would be an offering of love, models the attitude the sermon calls every believer to adopt. Practicing the presence is not a technique but a posture of the heart turned constantly toward God throughout the entire day.

The Grocery Store That Became a Mission Field

Perhaps the most arresting moment in the sermon is the pastor’s personal account of entering a grocery store during a three-week fast. Without speaking a word or making eye contact, thirteen people were inexplicably drawn to him in the same aisle. They could not explain the attraction, only that something compelled them to seek him out. When he identified the source as Jesus, all thirteen gave their lives to Christ, including two store employees. This story is not shared as a boast but as a living demonstration of the sermon’s thesis: a person saturated with God’s manifest presence becomes an involuntary carrier of the kingdom, drawing others simply by being present.

Communion as a Declaration of Nearness

The sermon closes by connecting the Lord’s Supper directly to the theme of drawing near to God. Citing Paul’s account in 1 Corinthians 11, the pastor emphasizes that Jesus instituted communion on the very night He was betrayed, choosing to minister to others in His own darkest moment. Communion is presented not as a mere memorial ritual but as an active practice of the presence of God, a moment where believers corporately declare the death and resurrection of Jesus and welcome His presence into their homes, workplaces, marriages, and neighborhoods. Hebrews 4:16 is cited as an invitation to come boldly, regardless of personal failure, because God’s desire is always for nearness.

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