Drawing Near: Embracing God's Invitation and Relationships

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1. "And, and the writer of Hebrews, when, when he is, is describing the presence of God, there is, there is an air to his writing where it's like, no, no, no. We don't belong here. But you get to be close to God. And, and I'm not trying to, if you're thinking I'm trying to compare like Rupp Arena to the presence of God, maybe you're right, but, but you're not. Like, it's not completely one for one. But you, you can carry along with me. But just the, the reality of what the, the writer in Hebrews is saying, it's like you get access into the Holy of Holies." [31:39] (34 seconds) ( | | )

2. "You don't belong, but you're invited in. Your sin would disqualify you, but you're invited in. You have no business stepping behind the curtain. But because of Jesus Christ, you have a way to God. And the reality that we talked about last week is that, that, that the gospel of Jesus Christ, it's, it's a very collective gospel. It is, it is for, as, as Acts 2.39, if you see out on the wall, the, the light bulb wall, it says, for all those who are far, all whom the Lord our God will call. And we know that God calls all of us." [32:43] (33 seconds) ( | | )

3. "Your movement from unbelief to belief will be delayed or negated without life-changing relationships. See, First Christian is here to help others move from unbelief to belief. That movement from unbelief to belief, that, that, that transition of faith, the, the steps of faith that we have the opportunity to take in our life through Jesus Christ, that, that movement is delayed, or altogether negated without life-changing relationships. Because me on my own, trying to survive understanding who God created me to be and how he acts or asks me to live my life on my own, complete miserable failure." [33:35] (41 seconds) ( | | )

4. "Don't forget to draw near to God. Don't cast that relationship to the side. In spite of your circumstances, in spite of the challenges that you face, in spite of everything whirling around you, don't forsake drawing near to God. There's some ups and downs that come with drawing close to God. I, I think at times when, when we look and, and what we're reminded of in, in verses 19 through 21 is that, is that Jesus is the reason we have an opportunity to draw close to God. It's the reason that we can enter with confidence, as it says." [38:16] (44 seconds) ( | | )

5. "The reality of our relationship with God is, is, is this, this understanding of why He created us and what He's called us into and the promise that He's made to us. You see, the reality of, of Him creating us to begin with, like, He, He knows every imaginable and unimaginable thing about each and every one of us. Like, if you were to process and go, who are the people in my life that know me more than everyone else? It doesn't even hold a candle to the reality of what God knows about you the relationship and the closeness that He desires." [39:43] (37 seconds) ( | | )

6. "And all of the while, and all of the busy things, the busyness of, like, doing Jesus-y things, sometimes I forget to actually sit with the God who wants to hear from me. And has something to say to me. And, and, and it's this, it's this stop the whirlwind of everything else and pause long enough to just go, what would God speak to me today? Like, think about other relationships that you have. Like, like at work, or, or in your house, or in your neighborhood, or different things. Like, like, take my coworkers. Like, like, we're around each other. We have all these conversations. Like, there is so much." [42:17] (33 seconds) ( | | )

7. "And here's the reality. No matter how that answer lands in your heart today, it does not speak to God's distance from you. So, like, I've had to be reminded of that at different times. Sometimes I felt like, God, where are you? Can I just, a little honest, can we be honest as a church? We're collective, we're individual. How many times have you prayed to God, God, where are you? Can I show of hands? Some of you. Some of you. Bald, brave people, thank you so much. Like, man, God, where are you? Where have you gone? You feel as distant from me as anything else in life. It doesn't actually mean that he is." [45:22] (43 seconds) ( | | )

8. "And the reality is, is that guilt and shame are tactics that hold no weight the closer to God we draw. That guilt and shame are tactics that hold no weight the closer to God we draw. See, at times, I can't get close to God I know what's inside my heart. I have to shrink back from even believing I deserve or could fathom being close to the God who created me because the shame and guilt that I feel of my past, of the reality that lives behind me, the skeletons in my closet and the things that I've done, the things that I've said, the things that I have tried to understand and manipulate around me, I can't draw close to God because why would God want to draw close to someone like me?" [47:42] (50 seconds) ( | | )

9. "And the reality of the grace that we have received is one that is only through Jesus Christ. His life and death and burial and resurrection that navigates the separation from us to God in our sin. I can draw close to God. You can draw close to God. So here's what I do. The band's going to come out and they're going to lead us in a song here in just a second. But I want to do like if you've got something on your lap or something in your hands, put it to the side for just a second." [56:30] (33 seconds) ( | | )

10. "And here's reality. Like the reality of the way God uses the church, like when you kind of feel like, man, that's the church. The church is when other people can gather around and study scripture together and live life together and go, you know what? You deserve it just as little as I do, but we're going to take steps together to figure it out. I might draw closer to God because of the other person. The other relationships I'm in. saying yes to a small group, saying yes to a Bible study, saying yes to like cooking and having a conversation with other guys, like saying yes to a women's study, a young adult night, like saying yes to any of these things might be the step you need in drawing closer to God." [54:14] (37 seconds) ( | | )

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