Closer Than You Think

Have you ever had a situation when you were having a hard time judging distances? Maybe you had one eye closed. Maybe you decided to dress up like a pirate, a villain, or Nick Fury from the MCU but found out that eye-patch looks cool, but it’s not very functional?

Maybe you were looking at something in your side-view mirror and realized that although it looked REALLY close, the mirror says that “Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear”??? Like that famous scene in that now-old movie “Jurassic Park.”

Knowing that something valuable is within reach can be all the encouragement we need to reach & grab ahold of it instead of letting it pass us by (again).

I want to encourage you that great things are closer than you think!

Salvation

Romans 13:11 NKJV

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Salvation = Rescue, Deliverance, Safety, Protection

Salvation is not a one-time event, it is a constant need

There is no salvation without a Savior

If my grammatical understanding is correct, this scripture means that every day that we are living, we are getting closer and closer to the completion of our personal salvation process

Every day we walk forward with Him, we are getting closer to the perfection that God in His plan for us.

IF - We allow Jesus to work on us every day!

When you’re finished changing, you’re finished - Benjamin Franklin

Don’t stop, for even 1 day, changing to be like Jesus!

Good enough is the enemy of destiny!

Kingdom of Heaven

So many people cry out to God and to Heaven as if it is far away. Many people even seem to believe that it takes God a long time to answer prayers because they read the story of how the angel had to fight his way through for 21 days to give Daniel an answer.

But we don’t live in those times.

We live under a better covenant with better promises! (Hebrews 8:6)

This is what Jesus said:

Matthew 10:7–8 NKJV

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Luke 17:20–21 NKJV

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The good news is that the Kingdom doesn’t come without it’s King! So God is right here with us if He is sitting on the throne of our life.

Implications of living in a Kingdom:

We don’t just get to do whatever we want

Obedience is no longer dependent on our agreement, but our submission

The King sets the tone of the Kingdom & his word is final

Harvest

Ecclesiastes 11:4 NKJV

4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

This passage is talking about conditions we see around us.

Don’t wait for the perfect conditions (waiting until someone seems “receptive”, or waiting for the perfect set of circumstances) to sow seeds of the gospel, or to act upon the God-placed desires of your heart.

This applies equally to business & relationships

-Many people are waiting for the PERFECT conditions rather than making a move

Likewise, the truth of every situation may not actually be as it appears.

I’ve learned that just because someone has a beautiful car doesn’t mean that they have a lot of money - sometimes it simply means they have a lot of debt.

BTW, according to some sources, the average millionaire drives a 4-5 year old vehicle

Someone might look, act, or speak unfavorably towards the gospel, but share good news anyway.

If we never sow, we will never reap!

John 4:34–35 NKJV

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

The perfect time to obey God is RIGHT NOW!

Hear me clearly, OBEY GOD - don’t run ahead of His timing, but don’t delay your obedience to Him just because the conditions look unfavorable.

Obedience is stopping when He stops and going when He goes

The harvest is near!

Jesus

Romans 10:6–8 NKJV

6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):

Jesus Himself = The Word

Isn’t it amazing that we are immediately WITH JESUS every time we pick up the Bible & read His words to us?

Some people choose to leave their Bible on the nightstand & are crying out for Jesus to speak to them.

James 4:8 NKJV

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

If you ever feel like Jesus is far away, all you have to do is draw near to Him!

Jesus is closer than you think!

Just One Thing:

Great things are closer than you think - Reach out and grab ahold of these things this week!

Discussion Questions:

If you were given five million dollars to open a small museum, what kind of museum would you create?

Do you generally feel like God is close to or far from you? How do you feel that affects the way you interact with Him (e.g. pray, fellowship, behave, etc.)

Read James 4:8 and share what you feel it means to “draw near to God” & how you personally accomplish this. If you have a hard time drawing near to God, please listen to the thoughts and actions others take & put 1 or more of them into practice.

How can you see your life changing if you lived it like Salvation, the Kingdom of Heaven, Harvest, & Jesus were very near?