DRAW NIGH UNTO GOD.
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”(James.4:8).
Today people are so busy living out their lives, that they don’t find time to have intimacy with Gd. This is the world that is driving man to every corner, keeping him busy. Man works day and night. The devil also keeps man busy. The natural world is busy, because the things are lacking. The earth is cursed, and so it is deplete of many things. There are too many people fighting for a piece of bread. and so brains have to be worked, and overworked. It is the survival of the fittest. it is the survival of the learned. and the hard working. There is nothing wrong in studying, in working hard but yet all work does not give them satisfaction. Man is ready to work hard. Man is ready to put in a little more effort. but yet what is there to show? Nothing. why? because we are racing against time, we are racing against the devils ploy. we are racing to get that which is fast emptying out. and by doing that we don’t realize how our constitution has broken down. How many have sacrificed even the very good in life, just to seek after things that will give them to enjoy good. They have sacrificed wives/children/joy/time. to gain some money. The devil is surely a hard taskmaster. and that is why at such a time, when the world cannot give time for Gd. I want to introduce you to what God spoke thru James, and once you get to the root of it, all your striving/your struggling/will end. You will get your resources thru some other means. you will be tapping your resources from a higher level.
1).WHAT IS DRAWING NIGH TO GOD.
Drawing nigh to God, has many aspects of it, and one or two of it we will study in this lesson. One of the aspects of drawing nigh to God is often overlooked. That is what we will see today. In drawing nigh to God, it is not that you do it once in a while when you are in trouble, that you seek God for your needs. I am talking about getting close to God in relationship and fellowship. There has to be a level of intimacy with God. It is not that when you sit for prayer, you get to the closest, and that is it. With God you need to understand, that you grow in degrees, you get into depths in degrees, because you are dealing with the spirit world. Every day, as you talk to him/worship him/sense him/be intimate with him. you are growing in degrees in depths. There are different degrees of experiencing the spirit world. I am not saying God changes, but we are coming closer to him. Drawing nigh also means, that you could be even sitting on the chair, and just praying in tongues. and you would experience the spirit world. That is the whole thing. As you draw nigh to God. there is an area where you experience the spirit world. And the more you experience the spirit world, there is brought a great change, a great blessing to your reach. It is the whole sense of drawing nigh to Gd. It is all attached to God. like the word is attached to God, prayer is reaching to Gd. worshipping is approaching Gd. These are the facets thru which we approach Gd. through which we are drawing nigh to God. God doesn’t come around just like that, if we are lying on the couch and being anxious of things, and living in our own little world. He comes around when you are thinking of God, and his word, and his desires, and his kingdom. Wanting to please him in all aspects of life. That is the time God comes around. that is the time angels of God ascend and descend upon you. that is the time you meet angels along the way, who help you in all things. Like when Joshua was thinking how would he get entry into Jericho his first conquest. Seeing that the walls were huge and wide. He was just walking around the Jordan river, thinking, pondering, meditating. O God all these people are looking to me, while I look to you.Johs.5:13.there he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold a man stood before him with his drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And as Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshipped him. There God had dispatched for his help. The spirit world is not a world that reveals itself to you automatically. There has to be some sort of effort that comes on our part and there are different degrees to it. You need to have a desire for God, and for his work, and do it sincerely/honestly/with integrity. The close encounter that one needs to have has to be initiated by himself. That is why Bible says draw nigh God and he will draw nigh to you. It doesn’t say. God draws nigh to you, and then you will draw nigh to him.No. there is a part that has to be initiated from our side. God is always wanting to draw nigh to us. but it all depends on our responses. You know how Jacob wrested with the angel. Why did he wrestle? Gen.32:24.He wanted to have a deeper encounter with Gd.bfor it says when the angel said “let me go.” he said "I will not let you go until you bless me." You know why he held on to that angel? He says I want a blessing. Now the angel could have finished him off with just his little finger and Jacob would have died. But the angel was not permitted to use his supernatural power at that time.why? Because God wants us to have a deep encounter with him, while on earth. He wants us to draw nigh to him. You could see he was so powerful because all he did was just touch Jacob's leg and that fellow became lame. This is definitely a very deep encounter. The angel blessed him. I wonder how many people experience the spirit world and before they left they said, "Bless me.” There are a lot of blessings that come forth, as we draw nigh to God. When you draw nigh to God, you take spiritual things quite easily. You start believing in miracles. You start hoping for miracles. You dwell in the spirit realm, and miracles/openings/flow forth from that realm. You start living a faith life. Like when people don’t draw nigh to God. they see all things from the natural perspective they have a reason for everything good or bad that happens .Mr.Logical. Mr.reason. Mr. Rules all rule supreme in his life. When you live in logic and reason you are much caught up in the natural world, and the natural world is deplete of blessings. it is limited to the sphere of the natural, and what flows forth to you is just in trickles, and you are bound by the law of nature. You cannot talk of visions and dreams, and pulling down strongholds. These all come from the spiritual realm, and you need to get connected and stay connected to the heavenly realm. Like for example when bible says in Acts.2.that the young man shall see visions and the old man shall dream dreams, and they shall prophecy. All these things will not be activities in your life. There are some spiritual senses that will be shut up for you, and you may suffer lack. Like for instance in the natural when you don’t spend much time with God. you will restructure your thinking once again in the natural lines. You will use more of your intellectual part, where the worldly and the lower animals operate. Like for example if you live in fear, and since you are not drawing nigh to Gd. you have no fellowship with him. Your mind and IQ becomes strong. Mr.Mind,and Mr.Logic and Mrs.Reason will play a major role in your life. and so your Mr. mind will give you ten reasons why you need to be fearful, and you will be stuck with the worldly kind of view. which is not wrong, in the natural, but not right to a spiritual man. but when you draw nigh to God and nigh to his word. Your faith comes by hearing the word of God. your faith life is stronger.Mr.Faith starts ruling your life. and when trouble comes your mind will work with Mr. Faith and tell you also 20 ways in which you can achieve things that you would not be able to reason. Like when you are facing a mountain of a problem. and Mr. Logic and Mr. Intelligence are not able to help you. if you had drawn nigh to God and to the church, and to his word. what will you do.You will say.to that mountain. Remove hence to your place, and it shall remove. Tht is what Jesus said.” You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. "(Mt.17:20).Did you see that which is impossible in the natural is possible in the spiritual. but for the spiritual to activate we need to get into the spiritual. In the natural certain things, we study it as not possible. But as soon as you switch over in the spiritual you say. This is possible. but the natural man standing next to you say. it is absurd it is not possible. He is not wrong. in the natural it is not possible, that is what he is trying to tell you ,but if you say it is possible you are also not wrong, because you are seeing from the spiritual perspective. You know how when Jesus was going to Jerusalem, suddenly he was hungry and he cursed the fig tree, and next morning that was Tuesday during the passion week. Peter was shocked. Lord the tree that was cursed is dried up from the roots. He saw no life in it. He couldn’t believe from the natural stand point. Jesus wanted him to live in the spiritual. and so he said “ Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”(Mk.11:22, 23).Supposing there are two believers, one always draws nigh to God; the other believer rarely draws nigh to God. Now supposing both have the same IQ,and same brain power, same ability to reason. Yet in the results, in their behavior you will a vast difference. Now supposing both are going thru the same trouble. Both are working in the same company and the company is giving a lay back to its workers. what will happen. the one who rarely draws nigh to Gd,will be full of faith. but the other fellow who draws nigh to God often will be full of faith. Because he spends time in the word/in prayer/in church. The first one will give you 10 reasons why he cannot concentrate, and why he cannot sleep. But the other fellow also can use the same IQ and give you ten reasons why he can sleep well, and not worry, and be tensed up. Why is there such a difference? Why is one anxious, and now is full of sickness, and messes up. while the other doesn’t? don’t they have the same IQ/same brain power/same circumstance/?Yes, what is the difference? It is not in their ability, or talent, or circumstance. the difference is their faith, One has allowed fear to dominate his life, because he lives 70% more in the natural, and 30% in the spiritual. while the other believer, stays 70% in the spiritual and 30% in the natural. One renews his mind, and so is successful, while the other uses his mind, and is unsuccessful. Because the devil works more successfully, in a natural man than in a spiritual man. The devil can give you a soulical reason. Does that mean that there is everything wrong in our souls? No. There is nothing wrong in your soul. but we need to put it in the proper place. But as long as you read the word, and live by the word, you are putting the soul in the proper place. Renewel is not removing. Renewing is putting something in the right/proper place. it is educating the soul in the right way.
Secondly it is important to consider how we are to approach God, if we want Him to meet with us at this church service. In the O.T.instructions were given regarding how Israel could come before God. At Mt.Sinai the lord gave Moses certain commands, as to how the people should come before him. the distance they should maintain before him, and they should take his word seriously, even an animal if it touches the mountain shall die. They could rejoice before the lord, but they should maintain certain rules to be before him. Even when God wanted to speak to the children of Israel ON Mt Moriah he told them, what distance they should maintain. and who could come close to him on the mountain. It was just Moses.
Though the methods may change the principle are the same. He wants us to approach him reverently/prayerfully/sacrificially. Moses learnt this imp. Principle of meeting God reverently at the burning bush. while he was out tending the flocks in the desert, he saw a bush that was on fire but it was not consumed. and so he looked here an there, and a voice of God spoke to him.” draw not nigh here,put off yur shoes from off your feet,for the place where you stand is holy ground.”(Ex.3:5).There Moses understood the right approach to God.He understood the principle of God. He understood to an extent How to come nigh to God. God was teaching him, and others, how he could be approached. That he should not be taken lightly. Because wherever God was present that ground became holy. Here as we sit before God. this place has become holy ground. You have seen how Moses drew near God, and then on he started coming closer and closer to the presence of God. After God brought the children out of Egyptian bondage and parted the red sea for them to cross over, they settled at the foot of Mt.Sinai.about 2 million people had gathered to hear the voice of Gd.During that time of about 11 months. Moses was going up the mountain and coming down, seeking to hear the voice of God.He would return after drawing nigh to God and declare what God told him. Yes even today. God has placed men/women of God, who are close to God. and they declare the things of Gd.Some may say. Nobody is going to tell me what to do and how to live.But yet God still speaks to spiritual overseers/pastors/and gives them words and messages to give to His people. we are then called upon to give heed to what the shepherd has said because both we and the leader will give account unto God. If you draw nigh to him, every day. You will be changed from glory to glory. There is a lot of drawing nigh to God.It will take all eternity and more to come real close to Gd.
The prophet Habak¬kuk said, “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab. 2:20)
Yu see how in the law of God. Drawing near was so different.You know when Gods judgment fell on the sons of Aaron. Moses went to his brother.and said “This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. (Lev 10:3 ASV).I will be holy in the eyes of all those who come nigh me. I don’t want people to take me lightly. I should be honored before the people, and I should be held holy in the people’s eyes. So drawing nigh to God just doesn’t mean, one find day. You say I want to come close to God. He is not a friend, whom you didn’t meet for long and suddenly you felt moody to meet him. For in the same verse he says ““Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
Sometimes we take God lightly. You know Nadab and Abihu took God lightly. why? Because they were invited with Moses and 70 others to have a banquet with God. They saw the lord. They ate and drank with God. They went out and told everyone.tht we saw Gd, we ate and drank with him. O he is nothing for us now. They were among the privileged few to actually see God! ! Surely this is an honor that Nadab and Abihu would not easily forget for the rest of their lives. A short time later Moses records in Ex. 28:1-5 God’s plan to institute His priesthood through Aaron and his Sons. These things entered their head. they did not bother to approach God in a holy way. There are instructions of approach to Gd,instructions for worship/instructions to carry things/and who has to carry/how they have to carry. all these instructions were very important if missed they would face death w/t mercy. See we are talking about the time when Law was in full force. You couldn’t escape the law, those who broke it had to face the full impact of the law, then let it be Aaron or Moses or David. Praise God we live under the N.C.Jesus had taken it all,but that time these two brothers.took God lightly, and they burnt strange fire. and Gods judgment fell on them immediately, they were charred to death.
God showed to all the children of Israel. what holiness meant for God. He said let people know my glory. let them revere my glory. He wanted to be hallowed in them. Moreover not anybody could come before him. He said all cannot come unto the veil, nor come near the altar, because he has a blemish, for my sanctuary will become unclean. No imperfection can be brought before God. People of such kind could not officiate at that altar. God is holy, no unholy thing could come near him. If anyone was found with imperfection he could not come near the altar forget coming near God. Physical defect/One who is maimed/one who has blemish cannot come close to the altar forget coming close to Gd.Today what a privilege we have, lame/weak/physical defective people can come close to God. But spiritually it also means, people with sin in them, cannot come close to God. they have to first wash themselves by blood and water and then approach God. Now it is no more physical defects, but spiritual defects. In those times no strangers could come near the tabernacle, for he would be put to death. when the tabernacle had to be moved to a new location, the Levites will pull it down and take it up. Any unauthorized person who comes near would be put to death. And yet they prided in it, that after keeping all law they were privileged to come close to the altar of God, come close to his presence. It was not just stand up and say I want to meet you O God. the only way to meet God was thru the sanctuary, and that required rules and regulations to be followed. and yet Moses said “For what great nation is there, that hath a god so nigh unto them, as Jehovah our God is whensoever we call upon him? (Deut4:7 ASV) “he LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”(Ps.145:18).One version says “Lord is near all those who give honour to his name; even to all who give honour to him with true hearts”
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”(Ps.145:18).One version says “Lord is near all those who give honour to his name; even to all who give honour to him with true hearts”. When you draw nigh to him. see that you have clean hands, and clean hearts. “keep thy foot when thou goest to the hosue of God,and be more ready to hear.”(Ecc.5:1).In other words watch your steps/give your mind to what you are doing/watch your steps.see that you just don’t go casually to him.keep your mind and heart in a right frame.when you are before God act with care and cautioin,as not to make a mistake and offend him.Like we say.you watch yor step with the new boss.He wont put up with your late coming or shabby work.Mary ws told to watch her step and stop missing classes.Tht is the meaning of watch your step in the temple of God.Dont say or do anything tht will cause you trouble.
2).WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DRAW AWAY FROM GOD.
Some (like Peter) Are Following Christ “Afar Off”. They do not want to be cut off completely from the fellowship of Christ, but they are not willing to follow Him close enough to run the risk of suffering persecution for His sake. “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”(Phil.1:29).Some are far off. Why do people who had been close to God suddenly seem to be far from him? There are many reasons, but it doesn’t happen in a day. It comes as a result of daily missing on God. Look at Peter.Bible says “And Peter followed him afar off.”(Mt.14:54).It comes over a period of time. A drain does not become blocked suddenly, but the debris accumulates over time without being constantly cleaned and then one day we have blockage! A seed does not become a tree overnight unless it is in a story titled Jack and the Beanstalk. It may remain in the ground a long while before a tiny slip of a shoot pokes its way out of the soil. That tiny shoot given the right conditions can grow up into a mighty tree that takes on the nature of the code in the seed. It's like a wheel with a tiny hole in it that leaks the air out ever so slowly until one morning you wake up and realize you have a flat. The final fall comes after there has been a repeated self indulgence of the flesh. Jesus had warned Peter. Peter Satan has asked you to sift you as wheat,but I have prayed for you. Jesus had prayed for him, not that he may not fall,but after falling he may return back. But then Peter too needed to pray that he may not fall,but Jesus knew him. that he wouldn’t pray.
Peter did not follow the lords warning to pray. Jesus had said. Pray that you may not enter into temptation. Bible says, after praying he came and finds them sleeping,” and saith to Peter,Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.Mk.14:37, 38.He was speaking to Peter Our Lord’s gentle rebuke should have been a warning to Peter, but Peter was caught in the heaviness of sleep at a time when he should have been praying. He just could not keep his eyes open. If only he was as vehement in his praying as he had been in his previous protesting, we might have seen a different ending.. He forsook Jesus and fled, like others. then he followed Jesus, but was afar. He sat with the wrong crowd/he cursed/while denying the lord.
He took it upon himself to rebuke the Lord and to "correct" Him! He heard what the Lord said yet did not hear Him. He dared to tell the LORD that He was wrong. He actually accused God of lying! He would not listen because that was not what he wanted to hear. His arrogance was in its zenith. His argument was vehement! How many times have we not turned a deaf ear to the Word of God because it is not what we expected? We come prepared to hear something that would tickle our fancy, excite our senses and pamper our selfish desires, but then God rudely disrupts our complacency, and instead of listening to Him we shut ourselves up and hold on to our own opinions, for we simply cannot be wrong, can we? We become argumentative and loud, we insult and accuse, we cannot be found wrong even though God Himself warns us! It is usually the first step downwards… Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12 KJV
Peter did not follow the lords warning to pray. Jesus had said. Pray that you may not enter into temptation. Bible says, after praying he came and finds them sleeping,”and saith to Peter,Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.Mk.14:37,38.He ws speaking to Peter Our Lord’s gentle rebuke should have been a warning to Peter, but Peter was caught in the heaviness of sleep at a time when he should have been praying. He just could not keep his eyes open. If only he was as vehement in his praying as he had been in his previous protesting, we might have seen a different ending.. He forsook Jesus and fled,like others.then he followed Jesus,but was afar.He sat with the wrong crowd/he cursed/while denying the lord.
Isa.says “they have forsaken the lord they have provoked him unto anger,they are gone away backward.”(Isa.1:4).
“Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.”(Isa.17:10,11). “Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.”(Jer.2:25).God is saying Look at your shoes they are worn out, your throat is parched from running here and there to worship foreign gods. Stop it, but you replied No. I love them too much.Wht is our god today? Is it money/name/fame/what is it? our buisiness?the more we run after it the less you will have time to spend with Gd, and the result would be unshod shoes, and parched throats. Ezekeil says, these are like “a wife that commits adultery, which takes strangers/instead of her husband.”(Eze.16:32).Yes the more you go away from God/from church/from prayer/from worship. the more you shall be depleted of strength. ‘strangers/hve devoured his strength,and he knows not,yea gray hairs are here and there upon him,yet he knows not.”(Hos.7:9).I would like to speak on the natural aspect of one place and then we can glean some spiritual lessons. If you see the place that Jesus lived and ministered, there was more release from the demonic oppression. Like wherever Jesus ministered frequently had more release from the demonic oppressions. Like Jesus ministered more in the area of the Sea of Galilee. You know the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake about 7 miles wide and 8 miles long. It may vary a little depending on the time of the year and how much water pours into it from the Jordan River. This is the place where Jesus centered his ministry while he was on this earth. If you see about 65% to 70% of the miracles of the four gospels took place around the Lake of Galilee. When you cross the lake of Galilee and go to the other side you come in to Grecian-Syrian culture. This was the territory with a lot of idol worship and temples built to idols and heavily occupied by the Romans. One of the most outstanding miracles of Jesus was the healing in Gadara, of the demoniac who had two thousand demons in him.” Legion in him.” All the three gospels tell us this story. This incident took place near the city of Gadara. The name Gadara can be traced back to the time of Joshua.That is what the historian Josephus says. Gadara was the principle city of the land of Gad. The reason it is called Gadarenes, is because of the word “Gad”. This is the territory where during the time of Joshua the tribe of Gad had settled. Yu remember that Jacob had twelve sons, and one of Leah’s maids gave birth to a child and she named him Gad. which means a troop. I will link to you also why the troop. but when Joshua brought the children of Israel across the river of Jordan and the tribes began to settle in different parts of the promised land. The tribe of Gad lived in the area of the territory we now know as the Golan Heights. It starts on the other side of the sea of Galilee, near where this story happened in Lk.8.why is it important to know about the tribe of Gad.? According to the book of Judges, the tribe of Gad was the furthest away from Jerusalem. Now since they were very far away from Jerusalem, which was the centre of their religion/worship. they had a plan to observe the feast of Passover and tabernacles. You know the law in the bible under the O.C.demanded that all males over 20 yrs of age had to go up to the temple of Jerusalem especially during the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost and also Tabernacles. So all men over 20 years age had to take a week off work, because it took that much time for them to take the trip all the way to Jerusalem, and stay there for the feasts and then return back. and it was not just once in a year, but three times in a year. Now the Tribe of Gad was the furtherest away from Jerusalem so for them it was more difficult during these three feast times to come from the upper Golan Heights all the way through the mountains of Samaria, through the West Bank to the city of Jerusalem. It took them days to get there. So the tribe of Gad began to complain and say, since we are so far from the temple let us do something about it. So they built and altar and when they built the altar, the judges and the king came up to the tribe of Gad and started rebuking them and said don’t you know the law of Moses said you are not to build an altar or to copy an altar. Then the tribe of Gad said, wait a minute, we are furtherest away from the temple so we are just doing this as a memorial so that we can show our children so that they won’t forget what it’s like to serve God. That sufficed. But the point is that the tribe of Gad was the furtherest away from the presence of God. That is what we are dealing on. I am speaking to you, on why should we draw nigh to God.I am letting you know what we miss when we are far from God, far from the temple of God, far from the church. I want to show to you, how furtherance from the gospel and from the temple, hindered them in many ways. Because when Jesus stepped into Gadara, there was this usual case which was not seen neither in Nazareth, or Bethsaida or anywhere else. There was this maniac, who had legions of demons. that means around 2000 demons were living in him. That is more demon spirits in one person than Jesus had encountered in all the rest of his entire ministry. In Canaan, in Nazareth, in Jerusalem, in Jericho, where ever he ministered, he never encountered anything like the demons in this one man. The spiritual principle is this: Gad was the furtherest away from the presence of God. Now this place where Jesus delivered the demonic had a temple to Zeus. Zeus was an idol god brought in through Alexander the great, many yrs before Jesus was born. He ruled the then known world for a time, and died in Babylon at the age of 33.The Greek culture spread there. Zeus was a god of Greek mythology, and like Jehovah God, of the Hebrews, Zeus had to have an animal sacrifice. Gods sacrifice at Passover was to bring a lamb. but Zeus’ offering was a pig/swine. A swine is a very unclean animal to the Jews and the Muslims too. They are considered as the worst animal on the face of the earth. that is why the orthodox will not eat pork. because it was considered unclean. Now why pigs were reared on the other side of the lake of Galilee? Because of the temple of Zeus, which demanded the offering of pigs. So these were raised by the local people, and then sold it to the priests of Zeus. This is the territory that Jesus went, called also the land of the Gadarenes. So I want you to see. how the people suffered, because they did not entertain Jesus. In fact they said. Leave our coasts. what I want to show you is, the more farther you are from God, and the church, the more comfortable the demons are to play havoc in your lives. Because of this distance, the demons became comfortable in the territory of Gd. You remember how the demons were ruling that part of the sea of Galilee too? They did not want Jesus to step in the land of Gadara, that portion of the sea also was ruled by one of the demons. There was a wall of covering that the devil had raised. Through out the other places of Israel there were Jewish synagogues with Jews living there and worshipping God, and that kept their faith alive, and they felt the presence of Gd. but on the other side of the sea, where the tribe of Gad lived, there was a lot of occult worship and sacrificing of animals to idol gods. I am not saying it was not so else where, but the slaying of pigs/offering of pigs was seen more in this place of Gadara.Now Mathew says there were two demoniacs. but Dr.Luke selects only one for a definite purpose. You know he is a doctor. Doctors will not easily believe demons exist. unless of course dealt in by God like Dr.Luke. Many think it is just fables/fairies. Many even thought if they ever existed, they no longer exist today.But we have seen it, and we are seeing it every day. From a doctors viewpoint, he approaches demons from a scientific way. Now we need to see this case here of the demon possessed man at Gadara.The point I want to make here is when people live far away from the presence of God, demons get comfortable. Evil spirits start ruling where Gds word does not prevail, where Gds word has no prominence. The demons will live comfortably even in a person who is never around the presence of God. If you are cut off from your religion/if you are cut off from the presence of God, from the true worshippers/the true church, the demons become comfortable, and their activity of ruin/destruction increases. What did the demons say to Jesus as they met his presence? What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.”(Lk.8:28). The Presence of Jesus Christ tormented the evil spirits living inside this man. Demonic spirits never come around the presence of God or people who have the presence of God on them, but they get very comfortable living where there is no presence of God. So the tribe of Gad had been infested with people who worshipped idols, but the bible prophesied in Gen.49.”that Gad is a troop and he will overcome in the end.” When Jesus said let us go to the other side of the sea, he was going to deliver Gad. His case was very unusual. There was no severe case as this. why? because they were away from the presence of God. If you draw nigh to God, God will draw nigh to you. This man, we would term as someone with a total break down. If he had been analyzed by a psychologist, he would have doubtless been placed in an asylum. Or in a mental hospital tied to the bed posts all his life. But bible tells us that it was because the man was possessed by at least 2000 demon spirits. He dwelt in tombs. It is said that they did not bury people back then the way we bury them now. Today we just dig a big hole in the ground about six feet deep and put an encasement around the coffin and cover them up. and we bury the body, never to again open it. But in those days, they took a limestone mountain, and cut a big cave into the mountain and cut niches to the left and the right, within the cave and then inside those niches they would place the dead body. then when the body would decay, they would take the bones and wash them down and put them in a clay container, half the size of the coffin and then they would put the bones back in the container, and put it back into the niche. It was called a sepulcher. Now notice where he was living? He was living among ruins, among dead things. He was not living where there was life, and he was cutting himself. crying day and night, because the devil had full control over him. He was not staying around any synagogue, or attending any synagogue where he could get help of somebody who can pray for him. His family life was broken, his relationship with wife and children was broken. There was no case as worse as this in regard to the demonic work. Tombs show that something is dead. Even today this place is dead. Now if it is possible for man to do it they would have done it for this demonic.it is say “No one could tame him.” No man could bind him.” Now that word tame is very interesting. Because we don’t tame people we train people. The bible doesn’t say tame a child in the way he should go, but train a child. Although there maybe some wild children that need taming. You don’t tame a human being you train a human being. then whom do you tame? You tame an animal. a wild animal. That means the man was so wild that he was not even considered to be human he was almost like an animal. why? because he was far away from God. He was far away from Gds presence. Do you learn something. If you draw away from the truth/from the word/from the church. the nature changes. Bible say “If any man is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away behold all things have become new.”(2Cor.5:17).The moment you start drifting away from the word/from the lord/from the church. Your nature gets into a transformation, for the worse. He could not be bound. He could break chains, He could put on a public display of his power by breaking the chains, but yet he could not break the spiritual chains of bondage of the devil. He could break the natural chains not the spiritual chains. if he could break the spiritual chains like the natural chains, he wouldn’t have been in the tomb. He would have been in his house. He could break chains, and get out of the clutches of people, but he couldn’t get out of the tomb. He couldn’t leave the land of death; he couldn’t remove himself from his past. Yu know Samson of the Old Testament? He had great strength. He could by the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon him, break the chains. He could lift up the pillar and post, he could lift up the huge gates and run uphill. he could put on a display of outward show, of his strength, when the lord was upon him, but he did not allow the Holy Spirit to minister to his personal and private needs and give him victory over his flesh. You can read how the spirit of God came upon Samson. You read how he tied foxes tails together and set the philistines grain on fire. Read of how he could take the jawbone of an ass and slay 1000 Philistines singlehandedly. On one occasion the spirit of the lord came upon him and he ripped the gates off the city of Gaza and took it miles away and left them on top of the hill. He could take the Holy Spirit and put it on a public display and could impress people publicly as to how strong he was. He could impress people with his power, but yet in the privacy of his own home and the privacy of his life, he is defeated. In the privacy of his life he is weak and in the privacy of his life he is visiting prostitutes. In the privacy of his life he has his head in the lap of Delilah. What will you say to this? He needed to draw nigh to God to strengthen him in the inner man. The Holy Spirit that comes upon a man is the gift, and gifts are irrevocable. That in the best of ones life, the gift is given and used,but then to maintain your calling you need to draw nigh to him, to strengthen your inner man.
3).THE BLESSINGS THAT FOLLOW.
What are the blessings that flow for a person who draws himself nigh to God? Well there are many. Time and space will not be permit me to write it all. But there are a few things I have already shared in the first point. but I would like to add a few more things. When you draw nigh to God. you shall be blessed/healed/delivered. Like for instance. Look at Blind Bartimaeus why did Jesus draw nigh to Jericho? Why did he pass the way of Blind Bartimaeus? Because Bartimaeus had drawn nigh to the heart of God. That is how he got his healing.that is how he shouted out to Jesus. This man heard of Jesus. and he drew nigh to Jesus.How? He cried out Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me. Others rebuked him,but he was drawing near Jesus with his heart. and Jesus stopped.why?because if you draw nigh to him, he will draw nigh to you. Does it not say.” Jesus commanded him to be brought unto him, and when he was come near/he asked him. What do you want me to do for you? (Lk.18:40).When you draw nigh to Jesus, then he will ask you what do you want me to do for you? He said Lord that I may receive my sight. Jesus said receive your sight, your faith has healed you. Praise Gd.Let us not come near Jesus to give him a Judas kiss.but give him a true kiss, a true love. Where is your heart? If your heart beats for Gd, and his kingdom, then He will draw nigh to you. God says “Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them; (Isa 29:13 ASV).When you draw nigh to God, see that you don’t approach him with empty words, and the honor that you show is not just lip-service. And the fear of God is not just empty fear or dread but let it be of reverence/holiness and you shall surely be blessed. In the New test. it is so different. God wants you to draw nigh him. Now since Jesus took our place, he has opened the veil to us, he has paved a way to meet Gd, so “let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”(Heb.4:16).Look at the people when they approached Jesus they were so bold. That sinner, who was paralyzed, how he gathered his four friends and told his friends to uncover the roof of the house where Jesus was.why? that he could come nigh to Jesus.(Mk.2:4).Right there He who was a sinner lay before Jesus. what a privilege. but does that mean we can come to him with all our sins? No. we need to cleanse ourselves of our sins, by his precious blood. but how could he come before Jesus? Because Jesus till then didn’t die, but he was also the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. and moreover, he must have been saying. have mercy on me a sinner, and as that publican went home justified in Lk.18,so also this man was forgiven and healed. Is there not a blessing when we draw nigh him?
Praise God draw nigh to him, and he will draw nigh to you, and bless you. God will not draw nigh to you first. He wants to see your earnestness/your desire/your passion/your needs.Does it not say about the two disciples going to the village of Emmaus? as they were talking and thinking of what had happened. Jesus drew near them, and went with them.”(Lk.24:15).As they communed together and reasoned. see that? when you are in deep conversation of Jesus and those things that surround him, when you show pleasure in him, and his work. then he joins you. Praise God.In Lk.24:28.it says “and the two disciples drew near into the village where they were going and he made as though he would go further. He was acting as if he was going on ahead, and didn’t want to stop with them. He would have gone also if they had not stopped him. but he wanted them to stop him. but yet if they hadn’t he would have gone. He waits for you, to respond/he waits for you to take the first step. He wants to bless you/heal you/deliver you. but he also wants the first response from you. You have to draw nigh to him, before he draws nigh to you. Here he was giving the impression that he was going on farther. But he stopped when they stopped him. when they showed interest in him. You know in Mk.6:45.it speaks of Jesus when he made his disciples to get into the boat and go before him to the other side, they were in the boat, and they were making the headway painfully, for the wind was against them. and about the fourth watch Jesus came walking on the sea.” He meant to pass by them.” and then when they cried out thinking it was a ghost Jesus spoke out. It is I don’t be afraid. According to Mark. Jesus didn’t seem to have been planning on getting into the boat. John and Matthew do not include this detail in their accounts. Why does Mark say that he was passing them by? Was he dissatisfied with some behavior? or was he teaching them the lesson of Jms.4:8.That unless you draw nigh to me I will not draw nigh to you? Bible says “they cried out.” did they cry out to Jesus? I don’t know, but I suppose they must have cried out to God, or Jesus. It would seem Jesus wanted to pass them by, but their state of distress caused him to reconsider his plans. Some say he “meant to pass by them,” because he didn’t want to be with them. He wanted them to develop their faith. If that was the case he wouldn’t be passing so close by the boat side such as to be noticed. That means, he did it to awaken them to call to him. Here we see Providence at times has a designed act by giving in only to their responses.That means if they had not drawn nigh with their cry, he would have passed them. This means that Jesus wanted to help them, but they had to first call out to him to receive his help. Divine disposition does not rule out human action. We do not sit back and wait for God to save us - we cry out to him for help! They were helped.
Beloved it is always a blessing when Jesus draws close to you, and it all depends on your desire/on your first step/on your likes and dislikes. It depends on your honoring him. Does he not say? Those who honor me them I shall honor? It all starts with us. He wants to see how desperate you are for him. then he moves towards you. when he sees your heart panting after him, when he sees you show interest in him, in relating to him, in fellowshipping with him. then he draws nigh to you. when he sees you celebrating the breaking of bread in the church as one big family. he comes in that place, and what a blessing it is when God draws nigh to us. David says “But it is good for me to draw near to God.”(Ps.73:28).
I have seen some people come running for the meeting. O how wonderful it looks, when the feet turn to the temple of Gd, and how best it looks when feet run to the temple. David says “I made haste/and delayed not to keep thy commandments.”(Ps.119:60).When you draw nigh to God he will guide you, he will lead you. He will let you know thru dreams, and visions.” Let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh/and come that we may know it.”(Isa.5:19). “Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope/in the lord.”(Ps.31:24).It starts with you. Blessings start with you.You show interest, in God and his word, and his work, and he will show interest in you.” Behold the eye of the lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope/in his mercy.”(Ps.33:18).Mercy falls on them that fear him and hope on him. “Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us, according as we hope/in thee.”(Ps.33:22).Everything begins with us.What did Boaz tell Ruth?” The lord recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the lord under whose wings/thou are come to trust.”(Ruth.2:12).why was she blessed? because she drew nigh to God. Because she was different from Orpah. Because she said. I will not go back. Your God shall be my God, your people shall be my people. where you die I shall die. She drew nigh to God, nigh to her people, she drew nigh to believers. Didn’t she stay the whole night at the feet of Boaz? and when he said who are you? she said I am your handmaid, for you are a near relative of mine/a kinsman, so spread your skirt/over your handmaid. what is she saying. I want to come under your covering. I am drawn to you. Please take me in your covering. Boaz got married to her. Were there no beautiful women of his own tribe in Bethlehem, that he should propose to a widow? Was she a Bethlehemite? No. she was a Moabite. a gentile lady. Yet Boaz left thousands of Bethlehemite girls and got married to a gentile lady? why? she drew nigh to him. Yes come under the coving of God. You know the temple that Solomon built, there in the Most Holy Place. he made two cherubims/winged creatures. each ones wings were 15 feet from one tip to the other, and the room size was thirty feet, and the two winged creatures were 30 feet exactly touching one end of the room to the other. what does it speak of? the total covering that you will get if you draw nigh to him. In every aspect in every area, whether it is financial/relational/or success/prosperity/provision/.David said “Keep me as the apple of your eye, and hide me under the shadow of your wings. He did come to Gd, and say. “How excellent is thy loving-kindness O Gd.therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings/”(Ps.36:7). Yu know how David was in the cave of Adullam, he had fled from King Saul, his most hated foe, and had found shelter in the clefts of the rocks. From there he cries out to God. be merciful to me. King Saul and his armed men were close on his heels seeking his life. would they find him? The Targum/translation of the Aramic.says. that a spider spun its web over the door quickly where David hid. seeing the spider web King Saul who was about to enter did not enter because he thought that David could not have entered it w/t breaking the spiders web. So David was saved. Whatever the reason is.God saved David, because he drew near God.”I will abide in thy tabernacle forever. I will trust in the covert of thy wings/” (Ps.61:4). In another place he says “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”(Ps.57:1).Was Elijah blessed? why was he fed?Because he often drew nigh to God.That is why God touched Elijah,because he drew nigh to Gd. Bible says an angel was dispatched for him. and gave him food to eat. “And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”(1Kings.19:8).I pray that God may open your eyes to this area of truth.Praise God!!!
Peter David Silway.
(Peter Silway Ministries)
Vineyard Workers Church.
India.
