Drawing Near To God Part 2

Drawing Near God Overview

In this powerful second installment of his series on drawing near to God, the pastor of NTC Ministries builds on foundational truths from Scripture to help believers understand what it truly means to experience the manifest presence of God. Drawing from James 4:7-10, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 16:11, and 1 Chronicles 16:27-31, the message challenges Christians to move beyond merely naming the name of Jesus toward a genuine, intimate fellowship with the Father. The pastor uses vivid illustrations, including the story of Moses at the burning bush, David dancing before the returning ark of the covenant, and a personal account of thirteen people coming to Christ in a grocery store, to show how God’s tangible presence transforms lives. He unpacks four gifts found in God’s presence from 1 Chronicles 16:27: glory, honor, strength, and gladness, explaining each with Hebrew word studies. The sermon closes with a communion service, calling everyone present to draw boldly near to the throne of grace and experience the fullness of joy that only comes from dwelling in God’s presence day by day.

Drawing Near God Outline

• 00:00 – Introduction and Series Context: The pastor revisits the series on drawing near to God, explaining the teaching method of line upon line from Isaiah and connecting the birth of Christ to the fullness of time in Galatians 4:4.
• 05:30 – Jesus as Apostle and High Priest: Using the Roman concept of the eklesia, the pastor explains how Jesus came to negotiate a truce with mankind, revealing the true nature of God as loving and compassionate rather than harsh and legalistic.
• 12:00 – A Vision of Mountains Rising Over Wisconsin: The pastor shares a prophetic vision of mountains springing up across Wisconsin, explaining how mountains in Scripture symbolize people’s desire to draw near to God, referencing Moses on Sinai and the Mount of Transfiguration.
• 18:30 – The Difference Between Omnipresence and Manifest Presence: From James 4:7-10, the pastor distinguishes between God’s omnipresence and His tangible manifest presence, using the marriage analogy to challenge believers to long for His presence rather than only His performance.
• 25:00 – Moses at the Burning Bush and the Cost of Passing By: The story of Moses on the backside of the desert illustrates that God did not speak until Moses drew near. Believers who walk past divine invitations miss everything God has planned for them.
• 32:00 – Four Gifts Found in God’s Presence: An exposition of 1 Chronicles 16:27-31 reveals that glory, honor, strength, and gladness are all located in God’s presence, with Hebrew word studies showing how each quality meets the deepest needs of the human heart.
• 41:00 – Brother Lawrence and Practicing the Presence: The pastor references the 17th-century French monk Brother Lawrence and his classic work on practicing the presence of God, encouraging believers to keep their hearts turned toward God throughout every moment of daily life.
• 47:00 – Psalm 16:11 and the Fullness of Joy: Reading Psalm 16:11 together, the congregation is reminded that fullness of joy and eternal pleasures are found exclusively in God’s presence, making the pursuit of His presence the highest priority of the Christian life.
• 50:30 – Altar Call and Salvation Prayer: The pastor leads everyone in a prayer of salvation and rededication, inviting those who have drifted from intimacy with God to come back boldly to the throne of grace as described in Hebrews 4:16.
• 52:30 – Communion as Practicing the Presence: The service closes with communion, with the pastor explaining that taking the bread and the cup is itself an act of practicing the presence of God, welcoming His reality into every area of life including home, work, and marriage.

Scripture References

Isaiah 28:10-11, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Galatians 4:4, Matthew 16:18, Ezekiel 36, John 14:6, James 4:7-10, Psalm 121:1-2, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 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 requires personal initiative from the believer, because while God is always present, His manifest presence is experienced only when we actively seek Him.
• There is a critical difference between the omnipresence of God, who is everywhere, and the manifest presence of God, which is tangible, transforming, and life-changing.
• God’s presence carries four revolutionary gifts identified in 1 Chronicles 16:27: glory that changes your appearance, honor that meets your deepest need to be valued, strength that makes you secure and bold, and gladness that joins you to the Lord in fullness of joy.
• Many Christians settle for knowing about God’s performance rather than experiencing His presence, which leaves them spiritually empty and vulnerable in times of chaos and lawlessness.
• Just as Moses would never have received his calling if he had walked past the burning bush, believers who fail to draw near to God miss the divine assignments and transformations God has prepared for them.
• Practicing the presence of God is not limited to church or private prayer time but can and should infuse every moment of daily life, including work, marriage, and even sleep.
• Communion is not merely a religious ritual but a powerful act of drawing near to God, proclaiming His death and welcoming His presence into every area of life until He returns.

Drawing Near God Notes

What It Means to Draw Near God

The central teaching of this message is that Christianity is not a religion of performance but a relationship of presence. The pastor draws from James 4:7-10 to show that the initiative belongs to the believer. God is already near, but He manifests His closeness in response to our deliberate reaching out. This is illustrated powerfully through Moses at the burning bush. God did not call out until Moses took a step toward the fire. That single step of curiosity and hunger opened the door to the greatest divine commission in the Old Testament. The same principle applies to every believer today.

Four Treasures Hidden in His Presence

Unpacking 1 Chronicles 16:27, the pastor identifies four gifts that exist exclusively in God’s presence: glory, honor, strength, and gladness. Glory here means beauty and excellency that changes one’s appearance, as seen in Moses whose face shone after being with God. Honor, from the Hebrew word hadar, speaks to the deep human longing to be esteemed, valued, and desired. Strength, the Hebrew word oz, means to stand firm and be secure, giving believers a force of stability no earthly power can provide. Gladness, from kadva, means to rejoice and also to be joined to, meaning true joy only comes when we are united to the Lord.

The Grocery Store and the Glory

One of the most striking personal illustrations in this message comes from the pastor’s own life. After three weeks of fasting and prayer before a ministry convention, he walked into a grocery store simply to buy an apple for an object lesson. Without saying a word or making eye contact, thirteen people were drawn to him in the aisle, telling him there was something different about him. All thirteen gave their lives to Jesus Christ that day, including two store employees. The pastor uses this account to demonstrate that when God’s manifest presence rests on a person, evangelism becomes effortless because people are drawn to the glory they carry.

Brother Lawrence and Everyday Communion

The pastor references the 17th-century French Carmelite monk known as Brother Lawrence, born Lawrence Nicholas Herman, who wrote the devotional classic on practicing the presence of God. Brother Lawrence famously said that if he were pastoring a church, the only thing he would preach is the presence of God. His practice of turning every task, including washing dishes in a monastery kitchen, into an act of communion with God serves as a model for modern believers. The pastor encourages the congregation to adopt the same mindset, consciously welcoming God’s presence during work, at home, and even in their dreams.

Repentance as Turning Toward His Presence

The pastor reframes the word repentance not as guilt-driven behavior modification but as a change of direction toward God’s presence. He draws on the image of Adam hiding in the garden, whose shame and fear were direct consequences of losing that intimate fellowship with God. The moment the presence left, Adam’s mind filled with problems, shortcomings, and fear. The pastor applies this to contemporary believers, noting that much of the confusion, hurt, and instability in people’s lives is God’s invitation to simply turn back toward Him. Problems are often less a punishment and more a prompt to return to His presence.

Communion as the Practice of His Presence

Closing the sermon with the Lord’s Supper, the pastor connects communion directly to the theme of drawing near to God. Quoting Paul’s account from 1 Corinthians 11, he emphasizes that Jesus instituted this practice on the very night He was betrayed, in the worst moment of His earthly life, as an act of presence and communion. This means that taking the bread and cup is not a solemn formality but a tangible declaration that we welcome God’s presence into our homes, marriages, workplaces, and neighborhoods. The pastor invites every born-again believer to participate, regardless of church membership, because fellowship in His presence belongs to the whole body of Christ.

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