Come Near To God Series

I. EXORDIUM:

Can we now come to GOD direct?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that through and in JESUS, we can now come to GOD to obtain more of His Mercies and Kindness in time of our need.

IV. TEXT:

Hebrews 10:22 (Amplified Bible)

10:22 Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water.

V. THESIS:

Thank You very much LORD JESUS because of Your Presence we can now come near to GOD to obtain mercy and His kindness in time of our need and while we are coming You are cleansing us more to be like You.

VI. TITLE:

Come near to GOD

Subtitle: Study on the Book of Hebrews

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Date of writing: Before AD. 70

B. Style of writing: Best Greek style

C. Authorship: Not specific, but generally attributed to Apostle Paul. Can be also ascribed to Barnabas, Luke, Apollos

D. Audience: Hebrew Christians

E. Theme: Christ is superior to the prophets; Christ is superior to angels - J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

F. Purpose: The chief doctrinal purpose of the writer was to show the transcendent glory of the Christian dispensation, as compared with that of the Old Testament.Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Come near to GOD

1. True hearts

2. unqualified assurance

3. absolute conviction by faith

"Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness),"

It's all done by faith. We cannot really make our hearts honest and sincere for all men are liars but GOD made it clean for us not our own human efforts but we rely on divine effort.

Draw near or come forward both came from the Greek word: "proserchomai" meaning:

1. to come to, approach

2. draw near to

3. to assent to

The only part that we can play is to come near to GOD and GOD will give us true hearts, assure us thru His Words, and increase our faith all with His Presence.

Romans 3:4 (Amplified Bible)

3:4 By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written, That You may be justified and shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when You are judged [by sinful men].

Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified Bible)

11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Coming to GOD is not really works but an action proven by our faith to GOD.

Hebrews 7:19 (Amplified Bible)

7:19 For the Law never made anything perfect—but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God.

Psalms 73:28 (Amplified Bible)

73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

James 4:8 (Amplified Bible)

4:8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].

Be conscious of who we really are, that we are sinners coming to GOD, but in His Mercy and Kindness, He made us His sons.

B. What do we bring to GOD?

1. hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty conscience

2. bodies cleansed with pure water

"having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water."

What we can only do, is to come in faith. We can come to GOD expecting Him to convince us of His Presence but it's not, we come to GOD, already convinced by His Power and Presence.

Heart is "kardia" in Greek meaning:

1. the thoughts or feelings (mind)

2. the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours

Heart in the Bible means heart, soul or our mind where we have our emotions.

Body is "soma" in Greek meaning:

1. the body (as a sound whole)

2. literally or figuratively: - bodily, body, slave