Proximity

Text: and

Title: The Potential of Proximity

Subject: “Closeness” as a mechanism for change for the better

Proposition: In order to give our faith away we must get close to those who need to hear the message of hope and forgiveness found in Jesus.

Date: November 17, 2019

Event: Sunday Worship Service

Greeting: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Scripture Reading:

teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Sing: Draw Me Nearer

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, And it told Thy love to me; But I long to rise in the arms of faith And be closer drawn to Thee.

o Refrain: Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, To the cross where Thou hast died; Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, By the pow’r of grace divine; Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, And my will be lost in Thine.

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour That before Thy throne I spend, When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God I commune as friend with friend!

Introduction:

In ancient Celtic mythology there was a belief that there are certain places, called thin places, where the world of the seen and the world of the unseen came into closest PROXIMITY. In each of the beatitudes, Jesus points us to a kind of thin place, a place on earth where we draw closer to heaven. Surprisingly, these are lowly, humble places, each one of them repulsive in some way to the ego of man. Not one of them is a place that you or I would seek to visit in our search for a happy and meaningful life. But Jesus proposes that the treasures of the Kingdom of God are found in just such lowly places.

Why do you do what you do? It’s a question that we all must answer if we are going to reach forward and transcend the space we currently occupy. Failure to answer this question can leave you in the wrong space for too long. It can limit your time of enjoying the grace on your life. So not grasping my purpose will prevent me from partnering with God as I should. In the text we see that Jesus invited 72 disciples to partner with him and He released a grace on their. At the same time He announces their purpose in their assignment as to quicken people in the region to the fact that the “Kingdom was near”.

Definition: of Proximity is the quality or state of being proximate : CLOSENESS

(to Isaac)

And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”

When Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is near, recognize that He says “near,” not “soon.” You can reach out and touch it, it’s so close to you.

Closeness as a cure;

Closeness as a key can make or powerful change

Closeness as a means to bring victory

We see it throughout the biblical text but possibly have not interpreted the meaning of the text, the purpose of the text to communicate “closeness” strategically.

Let’s consider the account of Zacchaeus – the biblically famous tax collector who went to extreme ends to get close enough to see Jesus.

(NIV

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

is another text which reveals the power of proximity

“9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)” This means that they don’t get proximate with Samaritans. This is true for many religious people who don’t understand the heart of God.

· When the kingdom of God is near, your own weakness and vulnerability are exposed.

· When the kingdom of God is near, you are empowered to be the kingdom to others.

This is the power of proximity:

· Affirmation

· Authority

· Assurance

· Voice

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And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

This mention of peace is the Hebrew word Shalom which means more than just peace; it means wholeness (welfare, safety, prosperity, and health).

[ God’s Covenant with Abram ] After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” All because God was with Abram. When Abram obtain proximity with the God he became a father; he became possessor of a destiny; increased in multiple spheres/spaces within his life.

Adam had a reverse experience. He had proximity with God and lost it. He had everything and lost it because he lost closeness with the Father. If we remember the ministry of reconciliation given to you has the objective of restoring the presence of God in the lives of men and women so that they might receive the shalom of God.

So we see in verse 2 Jesus speaks of the harvest and the instruction to pray to the Lord of the Harvest

· Urgency is an element of the harvest season

· Partnership is an element of the harvest season

I. Fear and Anger

II. Change the Narrative of the Church

The narrative is the story that is told. The power of a movement is in the story that is being told and who is telling the story. Christians have abdicated their God-given power by perpetuating the narrative

It is clear that we must change the narrative of the church from within more so than concerning ourselves with what is said outside. Jesus revealed this truth when he asked His disciples “who do men say that I am”, but then asked immediately afterward more emphatically “who do you say that I am?” Too many people are sharing a narrative of defeat, doubt and disdain. I believe that what is being from within is by the Church’s failure to go out. Consider this… When Jesus sent out the seventy, he warned them that the work they were to do, this Kingdom work, might not always be easy. He said take nothing with you, accept whatever hospitality is shown to you. In other words, allow yourselves to become vulnerable, and trust in God to provide for your needs.

This is the time when fear is likely to kick in because we are so accustomed to trusting in what we have more than we trust in the giver. We are accustomed to trusting more in man than we trust in the maker of all mankind. We are more likely to be angry with God than to be confident in God for His delay or denial of answering prayers we render. All of this despite the word instructing us to not place trust in horses, chariots, and man

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

III. Hope For Tomorrow vs. Hopelessness

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Hope is our superpower

· Virginia Durr

· Rosa Parks

· Johnnie Carr (architect of the bus boycott)

IV. The Uncomfortable and Inconvenient Things