The Reading James 4:6-10

The Lord

James 4:3, 7-8... 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

The Psalmist knew of the importance of “Drawing Near to the Lord.” It is human nature to want to draw near to something. Most people do not like to be lonely. Some Spend more time drawing near to the temporal things of the world than we do trying to be near to the Lord. The Psalmist knew of the importance of “Drawing Near to the Lord.” Ps 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.

Am I drawing Near the Lord? In this lesson, we are going to see what happens when we draw near to the Lord. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to answer: Am I drawing Near the Lord?

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: Away from ourselves. Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: What does “soberly” mean here? 1. To be modest, sober or prudent. 2. We need a humble & modest estimate of our own character.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: This was a steady practice with Paul. He put his own wishes aside and focused upon what God wanted him to do. 1 Cor 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: 1 Cor. 9:27 He buffeted his body daily. He subjected the things he wanted to do for himself to the things that Christ wanted him to do. His attitude was guided by Christ. Where is our attitude sometimes? Centered only on the things we want? This is not right.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: Jesus said in Matt. 16:24 – If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. We need to be doing this.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: Away from the World. John said by inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1 Jn. 2:15-17... Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: Many have not given up the things in the world. They try their best to hang on to them as much as possible while holding onto Christ. John is not saying we cannot be friendly with people of the world – ‘that is impossible’. But, we should try our best to have strong ties to fellow Christians. This is imperative for good solid growth as a Christian.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: Paul went on to say in Rom. 12:2... And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Instead of conforming to the world - we need to conform to Christ and His word. By doing so, we will grow in Him.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: Paul says to be transformed. What does it mean to be transformed? To be changed into something totally new & different from the thing before. Ref. back to Rom. 6:6. Ro 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: 1 John. 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Our faith can overcome the world! Faith is our victory!

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: We Draw Near to One Another. We draw near those who have a like precious faith. This is according to what is written in 2 Peter 1:1. Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: It should give us great comfort and a certain peace of mind. Paul expressed this in Phil. 1:2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. What are some reasons why we do not grow closer to one another?

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: As Christians we have something special that those in the world do not have - a genuine love for Christ, and a genuine love and care for fellow Christians.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: As Christians we have something special that those in the world do not have a genuine love for Christ, and a genuine love and care for fellow Christians. Are you trying to draw near to God and fellow Christians or to the world.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: We Away from doubts & fears. In Mt. 26:58, But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. was Peter trying to “Draw Near to Jesus?” Of course not. Certainly this is explained in verses 69-75.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: We Draw to Him for strength and courage. We draw near to His word - which will erase doubts from our minds. Paul said in Rom. 14:23... But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: We Draw to Him for strength and courage. Mt 14:29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!“ 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

When we Draw Near to God, We Draw: We Draw to Him for strength and courage. Peter had gone out on the water & was walking. He became afraid and at once began to sink. He called out to Jesus for help. Jesus responded and helped Peter. When we run into problems, instead of turning to men, we need to turn to Jesus for help and strength.

Are you drawing nearer to the Lord for strength and growth as a Christian. To grow near to anyone, anything else will lead one down the wrong road. Why not come to Him today?

Do you want to be a Christian this morning? Gal.3:27 If Never obeyed the gospel baptism Acts 8:37 confess Acts 2:38 repent Mk.16:16 believe Rom.10:17 hear