God Will Draw Near to You

God Will Draw Near To You James 4:8

How does a God who is infinite in wisdom, power, and might come near to humanity who is created finite in everything? We find in 1 Timothy 6:16 God is described like this; “ Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” He lives in the light that is unapproachable, humanity can’t get near to him. However we are told in our text, “If we draw near to God, which we have tried to explain, God will draw near to us” Now the question is not so much why, we were created by him, but how, when he is so holy that he is unapproachable? Let’s look at some examples –

God drew near by Walking –

-Adam & Eve in the Garden God approached in the cool of the day - -Enoch was a righteous man, the Bible tells us explicitly that he walked with God two separate times in the same chapter, now that word walk, can be translated to be conversant or to actually walk. It indicates the most confidential friendship, the closest communion. A walking as it were side by side. Not walking before God and being perfect, or walking after God which are both positive ways to follow God but enjoying the wondrous privilege of being so close to God its as if he was walking right beside God down the road, and he did in a way. Hebrews tells us the reason why, HE PLEASED GOD.

- Abraham was a friend of God – earlier in this chapter it tells us that if we are a friend of the world we are an enemy to God. But we can renounce the world an become a friend of God. That is what we find in the life of Abraham. He left it all, the world every part and followed where God would lead him. He walked with God following him looking for a city who’s builder and maker was God.

God Drew near by Talking - - He talked to many Old Testament Saints – Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc -He talked to the new testament saints -He talks to us today

God Drew Near by Approaching - To imagine Allah, the God of Islam, becoming human would be preposterous to a Muslim. Brahman, the Absolute God of Hinduism, is considered largely unknowable. Buddha, sitting silently with folded arms, never claimed to be God. The Jehovah of Jehovah’s Witnesses never became a man. The Jesus of Mormonism was not always God. Christian Science holds that Jesus was never God. The god of Wicca has no personality. In contrast to all of this, Christianity teaches that 2,000 years ago, God came near as one of us. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and blood, dwelt among us {moved into the neighborhood. } the Message