Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on VOICES - ADVENT 2018: Draw Near to the King, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Hope in Suffering
Starting in the beginning December's the three weeks ago we began a series in Advent about what it means to really wait on the. Message of God this is a season that's celebrated by the church that says okay we wait for Christmas because there's a picture of.
- Putting hope in God peace and joy that comes from waiting on him and when we celebrate the birth we're also remembering that we're.
- Still waiting for so many things and so our theme of these weeks have been looking at each way the message of Christmas is.
- Delivered the message of the coming one the Messiah is on his way at first we looked at the prophets who said there's hope.
- He's coming the darkness shall not prevail the light will shine and people will have the hope of a kingdom that will never fail.
That's the hope of the prophets and then we looked at the message that was given to us by the Angels which was a. Message of great joy that is good to wait on God it is good to celebrate the way he invaded our history to show.
Faith and Obedience
To reveal himself to send himself to be our Savior it requires a search to find it and that search is so important because. The lead up to this and the thing that we're going to celebrate the joy of Christmas only matters if you put faith in.
- The king and look at what it says now in Hebrews chapter 11 of the importance of faith now faith is the confidence that.
- We hope for and assurance about we what we do not see there is something you cannot see in the messages leading up to.
- Christmas the assurance of your hope is that there is reasonable faith to believe in the message of hope peace and joy but if.
- You don't have faith if you don't really believe none of it will matter and so the message today is that this is not.
A season to believe in hope faith or hope peace and joy this is something that is requiring you to put your entire life's. Faith into it and if you do that what does it say on the other side of their journey they desire to worship Him.
Faith and Obedience
That we care about what he's doing to call us to himself none of it matters if we don't actually believe and then follow. With faith in the message of what he has for us without faith it is impossible so is faith what is the kind of. Faith that all of us are being called to believe and hope and have substantive faith that turns into worship while Hebrews 11 gives. Us a working definition it gives us some things to mark our faith by so that it moves us it is not something we. Just believe it is something that actually moves our lives here's what it says for whoever would draw near to God must believe that. He exists and that he rewards those who seek Him there are three signposts of the momentous face that moves your life you must. Draw near to God that is faith to draw near to Him you must believe that he exists it sounds elementary because we're here. In church praising his name reading his word of course we believe but part of your faith is to believe in a way that. Separates us from people like the demons who believe in tremble but they're not their faith doesn't move them you draw near and that. You believe those are the two things that if you're going to have an impact of what this season is celebrating the coming one. Who comes to bring the Prince of Peace to your life and a joy to your life that will mark your relationship with God. And mark your life if you're going to have that you need to draw near to him you need to believe that he exists. And that you need it says to believe that he rewards those who seek Him that is the substance of what it means to. Have faith that moves you do you draw near do you believe that he exists is it just a story or is he alive. Is this a real God that we're studying and do you believe that he rewards those who go on this journey of faith to. Find him this is a story that will give us examples of men who make it to the end of those questions and they. Worship Him with joy and that is where all of us are being drawn in to do so we start very simply with one. Measure of your faith one measure it says is it's.
Faith and Obedience
Those who draw near to him and what do we have in this story Matthew chapter 2 after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. In Judea the days of Herod the King behold wise men from the east come to Jerusalem they are not from the typical region. Of the world as expectation of the coming Messiah it is marked very clearly they're coming from the outside they're coming from the east. They're coming with questions they are drawing near in a response to the way that God is drawing them to himself they have seen. Something in the Stars and they're aligning it to the king of the Jews of what they know about this coming one and now. They are in Jerusalem and here's the thing they're in jerusalem they're not in bethlehem they draw near and they're not there yet they. Draw near with questions and they draw near in response to God's leading but drawing near has to be a part of this all. Begins with a search for your life God has made each one of us with a capacity to know him and until you know. Him your life will be a search for him faith starts with God drawing to you to himself and you drawing near to him. Now here's where this looks different than how you might expect how we might expect drawing near to God to look is exactly what. We are doing right now all of us this morning had woke up with some prompting on our heart to come into this sanctuary. And you come into this sanctuary to worship with the expectation that the word would be preached we are drawing near in a sense. In a sense it makes us think that we can draw near to God in a safe and predictable way we come here traditionally. Draw near in church and we're doing an extra special part of that tradition that this particular congregation doesn't usually do because we're drawing. Near and we all look so nice as we do it this morning have you noticed that if you're a visitor we don't usually. Look so nice where we're come as you are Church you can wear anything you want but every year specifically at this time and. I can see it in the audience there's an extra flair to you all you all look very nice you're drawing near traditionally drawing. Near in the way that we think about it in.
Sin and Salvation
Terms of religion is to come to God in your Sunday's best I myself in partaking if you're wondering what's different about me I. Shaved my face took my wife two days to figure that out she thought it was a haircut she thought I was losing weight. I shaved I'm looking nice I'm drawing near but here's the thing where this story takes a turn and where we can all begin. To listen up because what I am saying now is you cannot check from your box drawing near from God just by coming to. This Sunday service this is a first step there are questions on some of your hearts but drawing near it says that often comes. Around an atmosphere of trouble and confusion and searching look what it says when they when Herod the King heard this what did he. Hear he heard that these wise men were coming looking for the king they've come to Jerusalem he's in Bethlehem so their search isn't. Over and when Herod gets word that there's these people looking for the king it says in verse 3 that he was troubled with. All of Jerusalem but the initial wave of this message reading reaching the center of God's people in Jerusalem the holy city and they're. Nervous and they're worried and they're troubled and they don't know what to make of it and what I find to be so true. In my life and the way that God draws me to himself and I draw near to him and it is much more frequent. That it comes in a season of trouble than a season of wearing a suit and shaving my face typically God draws me to. Himself not by showing me how magnificent my life is but showing my need bringing me to a place of a question bringing me. To an atmosphere of trouble and that's why I'm so glad for this message because I know there's so many of you in the. Draw near season this is a church I meet people weekly who come and they say I don't know what God is doing in. My life I think he might be moving my family to Boise I'm not sure we're looking for a church we don't know if. It's this one we're waiting on God we're trying to find out that whole season of trying to figure out who you're supposed to. Be with relationally where you're supposed to work the things that God.
Faith and Obedience
Is calling you to do with your life you are being taught how to draw near with tension draws you near to God and. I'm especially excited for it because I'm in a season of the draw near faith right now in my family so let me let. You in on a little family dynamic that we're going through we recently very recently found out that we're going to have a fourth. Child thank you for clapping should have told you all a long time ago because drawing near to God often happens when we're really. Not sure what we're doing when we really aren't sure about the plan for my wife and I we don't typically plan too far. In advance but the one thing we ever tried to really have a conversation about is our family dynamic and we basically boiled it. Down to two options option a would be to stop it three kids I come from a household of five total so I have. Two siblings three kid dynamic if you come from that household if you're part of that household it's a great option you're blessed and. I really thought about hanging out in that pool that was one of my options now the other option may be option B you. Would call it would be to maybe wait like three or four years to get a good breather we have three kids four and. Under so when we thought about adding another child to that we thought yes maybe someday in four years and so we present plans. To God and we wait on things and you know he draws us near option C for me option C stands for congratulations and. I needed to hear that and someone came up to me at as afterwards Rose I was talking through this and I said did. She plan it and I said no and that is why this is a faith moment because the things that you don't plan the. Questions that you have the way that your life sometimes feels troubled is the beginning of a search it's the beginning of God drawing. You near and if you really want to have faith as defined in the Bible one of the tenets of your faith must be. That you allow him to draw you near and that you draw near even in troubled times and this message goes so far beyond. My own family dynamic I know that this.
Faith and Obedience
Is a season of drawing near in very difficult ways for so many families I know because was full of what every year is. Full of it was full of great rejoicing at times and there was many weddings I got to participate in and it was full. Of suffering at times and there was much mourning that I got to participate in and I know where there is mourning there is. A void in the family dynamic I know there's hurt and I know there's pain and I know it creates a tension of faith. At times to try to fill in the questions of a loss and I know it's not just physical death that we have to. Navigate through as a church because I also know there are people that are part of the individual families of this church that we. Are praying and longing to be here that aren't I know there are some of us who wish so desperately that we you were. Drawing near now with someone on your heart who is far off that is a tension that exists drawing near is full of tension. Drawing near means you take your questions and you take your burdens and you take the things you're not quite sure of and you. Say I'm looking for Christ in all of this I'm now looking for Jesus and here's the question of the hour what these men. Did they had a question where is Christ in all of this where is Christ in the star that draws me in where is. Christ in this and why did they ask and this is the question that you must follow up where is Christ because you want. To worship him when you wait on the Lord with the questions and the tensions of the way he draws you in here's the. Point the question of the hour is can you worship him still can I worship him with my family even though it's not the. Exact course that I thought it was going to take can you worship Him in the tension of your life as he draws you. In can you come to the other side of a troubled season of difficult times and questions can you get to the other side. In worship and the answer that the Bible says is yes as long as you do not stop with just the drawing near face. Because God draws us near why he draws us near as it.
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.