Drawing Near
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever had someone in your life who just made you feel welcome—like you never had to worry about being a burden or an interruption? Maybe it was a parent, a grandparent, or a close friend. You could show up at their house unannounced, call them at odd hours, or ask the same question a dozen times, and somehow they still made you feel wanted.
That’s a picture of what we see in Genesis 18. God came to Abraham and stayed a while. They ate together. They Talked. God reassured Abraham that the promise of a child would be fulfilled. God had time for Abraham. God has time for us. What takes place in the second half of chapter 18 is a reminder of how our relationship with God functions. Today, as we look to the second half of the chapter, we will be reminded of two things, that if we will focus on them, hold transformational power in our lives.
God calls us to closeness of relationship.
God calls us to closeness of relationship.
The time came after Abraham’s meeting with God for God to leave. He showed up and reassured Abraham and Sarah that Isaac, the promised child, would be born at this time next year. The countdown is on. And now, it is time to leave and go to work. They Got up and headed toward Sodom, and verse 16 tells us that Abraham went with them for a little while. So they are walking down the road, and God asks a very important question:
The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?
Now, God has promised a ton of things to Abraham. God has made Abraham and his descendants his covenant people. They will be a great nation, they will be blessed, the whole earth will be blessed by them. But outside of the promises he has already made, God does not have to explain himself to anyone. God can do whatever he wants without Abraham’s permission. But he asks the question.
He then proceeds to tell Abraham what he is about to do:
And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.
“I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
God doesn’t owe this explanation to Abraham, but he chooses to give it anyway. There is a closeness of relationship that God has invited Abraham into that allows for this sort of conversation. But this is not a level of depth of relationship that a select few are called to. The good news is that every follower of Jesus has the same access to God as any other follower does. God calls us to this closeness of relationship. It is part of his design.
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Closeness to God is attainable, but as James says, it comes at a price. That price is repentance. We have to turn away from sin to experience intimacy with God. If you want to be close to God and experience a joy that is everlasting, to enjoy pleasures that last forever, you will have to give up something else to get it.
The truth is you are as close to God as you want to be. The good news is you can change that. If you feel distant from God, I have a solution for you.
How can you draw near to God this week? Don’t just say read your Bible more or pray more. Most people say that. What real, tangible way are you going to intentionally draw near to God this week? Write it down. You might say that instead of watch that one show this week, I am going to turn the TV off, turn on some praise and worship music, and sing my heart out. You might say that you are going to go on a walk three times this week in the evening and ask God to clear your mind. You might choose to serve someone in need. How is God nudging you? Write it down. Make it specific.
Since God calls us to closeness of relationship, we should be confident that...
God is not annoyed by us.
God is not annoyed by us.
God told Abraham he was going to Sodom because the outcry against them had become so great. Verse 20 said their sin is exceedingly grave. We’ll get to see that next week. It is clear that the purpose of this trip is not merely a fact-finding mission. The fact is God already knows their guilt. He intends to bring judgment upon them and wipe them out.
Abraham is concerned. Look at what he says:
Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
“Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?
“Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”
Abraham knows God to be a just judge, but surely God will not judge the righteous alongside the wicked, will he? This is a question of God’s character. Abraham doesn’t have the benefit of the scriptures to tell him exactly who God is. He is reliant on what God had already told him. We get to read this after the fact. Abraham has to live it in real time. He is not questioning whether God is actually unjust. He’s trying to understand how God’s justice works. Surely the Judge of the earth is not a crooked judge. That’s what he’s trying to be sure of.
What if there’s 50 righteous people in Sodom. Are you going to wipe them out alongside the wicked? God says, “Alright, look. If there are 50, I’ll spare the whole city.” Abraham replies, “What about 45?” God says, “If there’s 45, the city is safe.”
But look at what he says the next few times:
Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
And he said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.”
Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”
As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
It is as if Abraham is worried that he is about to tick off God with his constant questioning. “Ok, don’t be mad at me Lord!” Do you ever do that to God? Do you ever think or act like God is going to be ticked off if you ask for that thing again?” Do you ever feel like the kid in the back seat on a road trip? “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” Or the three or four year old that always asks why to everything you say?
You might get the idea in your head that you might annoy God but I want to assure you that is not true. You and I might be annoyed by the constant questions of children or grandchildren, but not God. He delights in us. His character is perfect.
God is speaking through the prophet Zephaniah to a rebellious Israel and promises a faithful remnant will remain. In that promise he states,
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
God delights in his covenant people. In its original context, this was the Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham. Yes, God does not tolerate wickedness, but he delights in his children.
The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
In this covenant relationship we have with God, he is our Father and we are his children by adoption. You’re not going to tick him off. He has invited you to closeness in relationship. That means he wants to hear from you, even if it is to ask the same question for the 1000th time.
Here’s the thing. Abraham was persistent and God didn’t mind. Abraham got to know God and was satisfied in the answer he received. God never promises an easy life, but he does promise to be with us. The problem is it doesn’t always feel like that, does it? We can draw near to God because he has invited us to do so. We can rest in the fact that God will not be annoyed with us.
So because that is true, what do you need to keep being persistent in asking God about until you get clarity? Don’t give up. You won’t annoy him. Instead, be confident in that he wants to hear you.
Since God’s character is flawless, we can rest in His invitation to know Him and be satisfied.
Since God’s character is flawless, we can rest in His invitation to know Him and be satisfied.
There are two things I want you to consider today. First, how can you make an intentional decision to grow closer to God this week? As I stated previously, It is not just a matter of reading the Bible more or praying more. Choose an intentional act that disrupts your normal rhythm and focus that time seeking God’s face. Second, What thing do you need to be persistent about in your prayers? Have you given up on asking God for something? What would you need to ask until you get clarity? I want you to notice what I’m saying though. Clarity doesn’t mean you always get the answer you want, but you will get the answer you need.
What do you need from God? Will you ask him until you get clarity? Will you intentionally seek his face this week?
