Quote from Forum Archives on August 1, 2003, 10:50 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I often write about earnestly seeking God, putting God first,
praying constantly, all stuff that I read in scripture and
interpret as being important. John MacArthur, a well known
speaker and writer who has his own programs that are much larger
in scope than anything I've been associated with, writes about
his thoughts on the topic of drawing near to God. He covers the
areas of learning about God, seeking God, then noting how we
marvel and wonder at first, then wander off.

I've been reading a book by Patrick Morley, thanks to my friend
Larry Davies, who passed it on to me. In his book, Patrick gets
real honest and realizes how easy it is to come up with our own
agendas, even when we somehow think we've been serving God. I'm
glad that Patrick was honest and put that in print, because
sometimes that's the way I feel. I honestly love and desire to
serve God, yet somehow my flesh keeps getting in the way,
attempting to deceive me in any way possible.

Ultimately, my response is to recognize this, repent, and return
to a loving God, and let Him have His way in my life.

John MacArthur provides some useful checkpoints in his message.
It's a bit long, but it's worth reading, and it certainly brings
into question our sincerity, our fidelity, our humility, and our
purity. I pray that each of us will take a private careful look
at our own lives, and rededicate ourselves to our Lord, after
first confessing to Him that we desperately need Him.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

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Live It!
Today's best advice for practical Christian living

July 31, 2003

Do You Draw Near?
by John MacArthur

Who is God? What is He like? Every fledgling believer asks those
questions-the answers he finds evoke wonder and praise. Do you
remember that time? Your appetite for truth was insatiable, you
attended every Bible conference you could, and you were
faithfully involved in every ministry and program the church had
to offer. Everything you learned about God filled you with joy
and ignited zealous activity.

So, what happened? Sadly, I've watched many Christians lose the
wonder of worship as the years pass. Life for them grinds on
monotonously and church attendance becomes rote behavior - you
sing, you listen to a sermon, you greet a few people with
handshakes and smiles, and you go home.

If that sounds familiar, return to God by submitting to James'
imperative: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you
double-minded" (4:8). To know the one true God is your glorious
calling. Are you ready to draw near? Let me give you some
practical encouragement on how to do that.

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Understanding Worship

Worshiping God is the essence of being a Christian. Jesus
explained that point to a Samaritan woman this way: "An hour is
coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the
Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to
be His worshipers" (John 4:23). If we are Christians, we are
worshipers. Our hope of eternal life is really an anticipation
of unhindered, unadulterated worship. "This is eternal life,
that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
You have sent" (John 17:3). With that in mind, we evangelize the
lost to gather more worshipers to fill our ranks. Worship then
is at the heart of everything we are and do.

Tragically, many Christians today have set their affections on
the temporal things of this world, exchanging their great
privilege of knowing God better for that which is mundane. King
David had the best this world had to offer-money, power,
success, fame-and yet he said, "One thing I have asked from the
Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord
and to meditate in His temple" (Ps. 27:4, emphasis added).

Let me make an important observation at this point. I think some
people get the sense that doctrinal precision equates to
emotional sterility. Though we can all point to examples of
that, nothing could (or should) be further from the truth. There
is no lack of passion in David's psalms, and his theology-under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit-was impeccable. Knowledge of
God to Him was "to behold the beauty of the Lord" and he wanted
to meditate on it for the rest of his life. Does that sound like
cold orthodoxy to you?

Here's a simple way to look at worship: Worship is an overflow
of a mind renewed by the truth of God. Cast in that light,
delving into the truth of God's Word becomes discovery rather
than dry and lifeless study. When you discover a great truth
about God, you meditate on that truth-mulling it around in your
mind-until it captivates your whole thinking process. That in
turn will lead to worship.

Worship is really the outcome of two of the simplest Christian
disciplines: Bible study and prayer. Study the Bible with the
goal of discovering the wonders of God. Once you latch on to
some great truth, fill your mind with it and ponder it in prayer
before God. Your inner man will respond with righteous
affections that will fill you with joy and renew your zeal to
serve others.

Returning to Worship

So how do you get started? First, you must repent. The failure
to worship God in spirit and in truth is not just an unfortunate
lapse in spiritual enthusiasm, it is a sin. To love the Lord
your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind is not the
greatest suggestion in the Law, it is the greatest commandment
(Matt. 22:36-40). Confess your sin, clear your conscience, and
get ready for step two-prepare to worship God.

Acceptable worship doesn't happen spontaneously- you must
prepare yourself. Let's look at Hebrews 10:22. "Let us draw near
with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water." That verse begins with the phrase "let
us draw near"-it is our call to worship. What follows are four
checkpoints to help you prepare for worship.

The Checkpoint of Sincerity - We are to draw near "with a
sincere heart." That speaks of a genuine heart, devoted to
pursuing God. It is hypocritical to be worshiping God when you
are really apathetic or preoccupied with self. Draw near to God
with your whole heart.

The Checkpoint of Fidelity - We are to draw near "in full
assurance of faith." The Hebrews were clinging to Old Covenant
forms of worship to find acceptance before God; but the coming
of Christ put an end to ceremony and sacrifice. Each person had
to be willing to say, "I'm coming to God in full confidence that
I am not saved by a system of ritual. I come fully by faith in
Jesus Christ." You too are to be fully assured that God accepts
your worship, not because of what you do, but because of what
Jesus did in providing atonement for you.

The Checkpoint of Humility - We are to draw near to God "having
our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience." That is,
you come to God with the knowledge that you are unworthy to be
in His presence. The only reason anyone can come to Him is the
blood of Christ, which was shed on the cross as a cleansing for
sin.

The Checkpoint of Purity - We are to draw near having "our
bodies washed with pure water." That refers to the daily
cleansing by the Word of God. The process of sanctification
ferrets out sinful thoughts and exposes sinful behavior. Before
you worship, confess the sins that God uncovered through His
Word so you can draw near in purity.

Every time you worship, whether corporately or privately, try
preparing yourself by asking these questions:

. Am I seeing God anew in the Word through discovery and
meditation so I am compelled to draw near to Him?
. Am I being sincere? Is my heart fixed on Him and undivided?
. Am I fully assured that only faith in Christ can bring me to
God's throne?
. Am I coming humbly, realizing I can draw near only because of
what Christ has done for me?
. Is there any sin in my life I haven't dealt with?

Perhaps you've been attending church for years, but you've never
really drawn near to God, nor have you sensed His nearness-even
in your own private devotions and prayers. Now you know, or
perhaps have been reminded: God has redeemed you so you can
worship Him. It is the purpose for which you were created.
Continue living in the light of the wonders you discover about
God in His Word, and ask Him to teach you more and more by
experience what it is to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
That is a prayer our great God will delight in answering.

Adapted from Our Awesome God, (c) 1993 by John MacArthur. All
rights reserved.

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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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