God Invites
Us to Experience Himself
James 4:8
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
14 Nov, 2010 AM
I.
Introduction
(James 4:8)
A.
This
B.
It is one of the most neglected
relationships of all time
C.
He is not a God that is far away,
but only as distant as our desire for Him
1.
The closer we determine to get to
Him, the closer He is allowed to get to us
2.
It is NOT that He seeks to get
away from us, but that He waits until He is wanted, until He is sought
after, and yearned for, and from that moment, runs towards even the worst of
sinners!
D.
With this Scripture (James 4:8),
God invites us to take a step towards Him, and we will find Him running
towards us! Remember the coming home of the prodigal son!
E.
This morning, we will look at 7
invitations to “draw nigh”; get close; snuggle up to God almighty
II.
Message
A.
Come Unto Me
(Matthew 11:28-30)
1.
Only Jesus can give you rest, no
matter the storm you may be going through
a.
Jesus does not offer rest through
a pill, or through hypnosis, or tranquilizers, or drinks
b.
But just by His PRESENCE in your
life
2.
He promises that if you will come
to Him, He will
3.
Offers a rest for your SOUL – not
always for your body
a.
There are many a health problem,
or financial problem, or neighbour problem
b.
But there is no soul problem with
a believer!
c.
Because we can, should and MUST
cast
4.
How often do you go to Jesus
throughout your day? Seek His PRESENCE?
5.
I can tell if you have spent any
time with Him…
a.
You will be at rest
b.
You won’t be carrying all the
burdens and problems that you were just before
c.
You will be able to sleep
d.
Why? Because HE has done all the
work – as a matter of fact, He has FINISHED the work, so that you don’t have
to!
e.
He finished the work by His
perfect life, and His perfect death on the cross!
6.
We are so often laden down with
our sins, our griefs, our guilt and shame – and yet he welcomes us to Him –
invites us!
a.
The more you spend time with Him,
the longer the rest, and the better the rest
b.
There is an open invitation to
return unto Him (Isaiah 55:7)
B.
Follow Me
(Matthew 9:9) This is a follow on thought from Matthew 11:29 “learn of me”
1.
The Christian life is not an
encounter with Jesus, but a life-long relationship – a commitment to His way
of living
2.
The picture being presented in
Matthew 11:29 and 9:9 is of you taking Christ’s YOKE (that HE wore), and
putting it on, and learning how to obey God, and trust God, and stay the
course and finish my course – with Jesus along side me!
3.
So, to follow, and learn of
Christ is to let Him be the Master, and we the disciple. Matthew, the hated
tax collector took up the offer – and left all to follow Jesus
4.
So many people, and some very
devout people pray, but do not follow and obey Christ
5.
The invitation is to learn to:
a.
Do as He did
b.
React the same way He did
c.
Love what He loves
d.
Hate what He hates
e.
Become more and more like Him,
every day of every
f.
He only changes your life as you
allow HIM to be your pattern for life!
6.
There is an open invitation for
everyone in this room to do the same
7.
It will be worth losing whatever
you currently are doing and holding on to!
C.
Look Unto Me
(Isaiah 45:22)
1.
Take a good look at this
invitation!
2.
It asks us to look ONLY to Him –
not to all the other supposed answers and “saviours” that the world offers,
that
3.
ONLY He is there! Only HE can
hear you when you pray, and only HE can answer you
4.
The invitation is to look to
Jesus
a.
For every answer to every problem
you face
b.
For grace and strength for every
step
c.
For hope and encouragement
through every day
d.
For wisdom and understanding in
the darkest of hours
e.
But best of all, for salvation!
5.
When a baby first starts to walk,
just watch him or her.
a.
That child does not watch his
feet as it begins to take those first steps. Look VERY CAREFULLY and see
where that child is looking. His or her eyes are FASTENED on the face of the
encourager! "Come on, you can do it!" and the child takes that first
tentative step. No matter how many times he has to start over and start over
and start over, the encourager is right there: "Come on, you can do it! You
can do it! Oh look, everybody!" Then we gather him or her in our arms and
bless them and make them feel so loved and special--they start squirming to
be put down so they can try again!!
b.
Without that parent to look to,
learning to walk would be almost impossible!
6.
Yet God says, “Look unto me and
BE YE SAVED!”
a.
Not, be more religious, or be a
better person, but to be SAVED from the wrath to come
b.
Just look to Him, like you do
your friend’s approval, and like you look to your pay packet every week, and
trust Him
7.
It says, "Look."
a.
That does not take a lot of
effort.
b.
You don’t have to do anything
hard - just "look."
c.
You do not need not go to college
to learn to look.
d.
You may be the biggest fool, and
yet you CAN look.
8.
It says, "Look
unto Me.”
a.
NOT to yourselves. No use looking
there. You'll never find comfort in yourselves
b.
There actually IS no other God,
or Saviour (45:21)
c.
It was Jesus who sweat great
drops of blood.
d.
It was Jesus who hung on the
Cross.
e.
It was Jesus who died and was
buried.
f.
It was Jesus who three days later
rose again
g.
It is Jesus who now sits at the
Father's right hand.
h.
O, look to Me! Look to Me!
i.
And you WILL be saved!
j.
How? Just by trusting Him enough
to ask to be born again (Rom 10:13)
9.
If your life is miserable, it
will always be miserable — miserable in life and miserable in death — if you
do not obey this text. But if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.
10.
It goes for anybody and
everybody! “All the ends of the earth!”
11.
Jesus could be very hard to find
if He wanted to be, but He is the easiest to call upon, and trust
D.
Reason With Me
(Isaiah 1:18)
1.
God invites you to argue with
Him, debate, discuss, get upset with Him. Ask Him all the why’s that you can
come up with!
2.
Why? Because He can handle your
questions, and your burdens
3.
He can take away your sinful
past, but He won’t do it until you understand the Lamb of God concept:
a.
That God doesn’t overlook sin, He
has to judge it
b.
And that He substituted Himself
in your place, and then judged Himself as a Man
c.
And then said you can go free
now!
d.
None of your problems, questions,
issues can compare to such an answer as forgiveness offers
4.
ALL of our problems are sin
problems – heart problems!!!
5.
All of our answers are rooted in
forgiveness & cleansing from sin – being made white as snow!
6.
There is no greater invitation
than to come to Christ as a sinner, and be able to walk away clean, and
forgiven, and washed, and pure, and whole!
7.
It is an open invitation to
absolutely everyone in this room – no matter how low you may be, or far away
– draw nigh to God
and He will…? Draw nigh to you!
E.
Know Me
(John 14:3-9; Jeremiah 9:23,24)
1.
Oh this is awesome! This is such
a big theme throughout the Bible
2.
God from page 1 in the Bible is
inviting us to know Him
a.
Know how HE thinks
b.
Know what He wants
c.
Know what pleases Him
d.
Know what moves His heart
e.
Know what HE thinks about – which
by-the-way, is always about YOU (Psa 40:5
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful
works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they
cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of
them, they are more than can be numbered.)
3.
Many a man has wasted his life
trying to know everything and everybody, but missed life because they did
not know Jesus
4.
Saul of
5.
Aren’t you glad that if you
Draw nigh to God He
will… draw nigh to you too?!
F.
Prove Me
(Malachi 3:8-10)
1.
This is an open invitation for
God’s people to put God to the test. Our Heavenly Father, tells us in His
Word that we can prove Him. What does that mean?
a.
To see if He really will keep His
promises, and whether His word is always right!
b.
The word prove means, "to
ascertain as fact; to verify; to be found true by trial".
c.
Jeremiah 33:3 tells us, “Call
unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things,
which thou knowest not.” Hallelujah! God wants us to grow
stronger in our faith and trust that He IS Able to meet our every need!
d.
When someone invents a product,
they test it, by proving what it can do. It's not offered merely on the word
of the inventor.
e.
When you go to purchase a
vehicle, you don't just accept the word of the salesman that it's "the one
for you"--you prove it by taking it for a "trial run".
2.
Merely believing in God is not
enough.
a.
“Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe,
and tremble.” James 2:19.
b.
Merely believing in God is not
enough to carry us through the tests and trials that come into our lives!
c.
We need proof. Why? Because we
are humans, limited in our comprehension, and it is the proof that
STRENGTHENS our faith--that increases our faith--that convinces us we serve
a God Who knows us, loves us, and is willing AND able to meet our every
need.
3.
Certainly we all have faith in
the God we serve: otherwise, we would not believe He exists.
a.
But to prove Him is when we put
"legs" on our faith, when we reinforce that faith by indisputable proof.
b.
The Bible assures us that we can
prove Him.
c.
Why does He tell us to prove Him?
Because He wants our faith to be reinforced by fact. He doesn't want us to
be limited by a faith that is a mere belief--He wants us to be convinced,
persuaded, rooted and grounded, firmly established in our faith by the proof
that He is a real God: real in our souls, real in our every day lives, real
in meeting our needs!
4.
You need to be sure that…
a.
God’s grace is sufficient like
b.
God will honour you and take care
of you when you think about others, and honour God first with your monies,
instead of only thinking of yourself
c.
God still answers prayer – maybe
takes a while, but He will answer!
d.
God’s word is perfect and true,
and absolutely reliable
e.
God’s will is best
f.
Time is winding up – just look at
the Book of Revelation, and lay it beside your newspaper!
5.
What an amazing God that would
invite us to investigate Him, and prove Him true
6.
Have you taken Him up on His
invitation to prove Him?
G.
Trust Me
(John 11:37-44)
1.
People so easily trust God for
the easy times – for the circumstances that don’t need a miracle
2.
But Jesus often allows troubles
and problems go deep in our lives, and then invites us to trust Him THEN!
3.
Example of Lazarus dying
a.
Mary and Martha had a brother
named Lazarus who was very sick, and at the point of death
b.
They quickly called for Jesus to
come and heal Lazarus – they knew Jesus could heal Lazarus because He had
healed countless thousands of people over the past 3 years
c.
But Jesus on purpose delayed
coming, and actually let Lazarus die
d.
When Jesus did finally appear at
the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, there was a large group of people
mourning, and Mary and Martha were FURIOYUS at Jesus
e.
Jesus invited them to trust Him
for the impossible – that’s what trust is all about
4.
Jesus invites us to just believe
God!
a.
Even though the disciple’s ship
may be sinking in a deadly storm
b.
Even though
c.
Even though the people of
d.
Even though Mary
5.
You see, if there is a God in
heaven (and there is), then He invites us to trust Him even beyond the
grave, and beyond the impossible!
6.
Aren’t you glad for such an
invitation?
III.
Application
A.
The biggest word in the Bible is
found in John 3:16 – “whosoever” – open to anybody
B.
Not everyone accepts God’s
invitations though
1.
Matthew 23:37 “O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”
2.
Psalm 81:8-11 “Hear,
O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O
3.
John 5:39,40 “Search
the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they
which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
4.
Don’t turn Him away. He still
knocks, and waits, and calls (Rev 3:20)
C.
Will you accept the Invitation,
whichever one fits you
1.
For Salvation, and Sanity
(Matthew 11:28-30)
2.
For a New Life – different,
better, blessed (Matthew 9:9)
3.
For Salvation, Encouragement and
Hope (Isa 45:22)
4.
For Sense and Reason in a world
gone mad (Isaiah 1:18)
5.
For a Closeness to Jesus (Philp
3:10)
6.
For Confidence in Jesus (Mal
3:10)
7.
For Impossible Expectations (John
11)
D.
Draw nigh to God, and thankfully,
He WILL draw nigh to you!