8.6.17-Sermon Outline-Draw Near to God and He will

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East Cooper Baptist Church August 6, 2017 Draw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to You “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Colossians 2:15 “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:6-10 1. What are we fighting? Answer: The accuser and liar (Satan) who is powerful but mortally wounded because of the triumph of the cross. (Colossians 2:15) 2. How are we to fight the adversary? Answer: We fight the devil with the promises of God (the sword of the Spirit-Ephesians 6:17;) dependent humility upon the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit; and the environment of a grace filled community of faith.

Principles: 1. God gives empowering/replenishing grace to the humble. “I am this day 70 years old, a monument of Divine mercy and goodness, though on a review of my life I find much, very much for which I ought to be humbled in the dust.” (William Carey would die at age 73 in 1834 after serving in India for 41 years as a missionary) “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” James 1:21

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13 2. We submit ourselves to authority of scripture as we glory in the goodness of the cross. 3. We resist by daring to draw near to the triune God We resist and draw near by: Guarding against double mindedness which involves the embrace of the anti-God, energy, in a fallen, worldly system.

Taking sin seriously repenting quickly and thoroughly “If prolonged, the habit of Flippancy builds up around a man the finest armour-plating against the Enemy (God) that I know, and it is quite free from the dangers inherent in the other sources of laughter. It is a thousand miles away from joy: it deadens, instead of sharpening, the intellect; and it excites no affection between those who practice it.” (Screwtape to Wormwood) C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters The book of 2nd Chronicles is a book about “drawing near to God.” The thesis statement of the book is 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Imperative

2 Chronicles

King under Whom the Revival Came

“Humble yourselves”

11-12

Rehoboam

“Seek my face”

14-16

Asa

“Pray”

17-20

Jehoshaphat

“Turn from your wicked ways”

29-32

Hezekiah

“Humble yourselves”

34-35

Josiah

“Revive again: your wake-up call for spiritual renewal,” Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. 1996