What have you been doing all day today?
Did you learn anything today, anything worthwhile?
If you could live today over again, what would you change or improve?
I asked you 3 questions. I wished you had said to the 1st question, what did you do all day today? – ‘I was drawing near to God all day’.
2nd – Did you learn anything new today? 3rd – If you could change anything… “I would draw near to Him more.”
Now what’s wrong with Juniors? Juniors believe in this life, and they don’t take it very seriously about drawing near to God, but you really need to. Otherwise, Satan will fool you.
And as you get older you are going to get disappointed then. But the hope in Christ does not disappoint us. That is what the Bible says. YOU NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON DRAWING NEAR TO GOD, ALWAYS. ACCORDING TO HIS WILL AS FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURES.
So how come you do not do it all the time and remember – because I’m a junior and I believe in this life. What do Juniors need to do real strong tomorrow? PRACTICE and learn as of 1st importance. That is the most important thing according to the scriptures. That is the thing to learn.
How much have the juniors been studying how to draw near to God according to the Scriptures, directly? How can we get this going, that they help each other to draw near to God, not to be goofy.
Ask them – what’s the most important thing in life. (Draw near to God). Yes, the real way according to the Bible. Now who is trying to learn that? What’s the junior’s grade for taking this seriously? What grade do they think God would give them?
Do they know a really good verse about drawing near to God, besides the one in James 4:8? A verse they have often heard but do they make the connection? Heb 11:6 is a good one, can you think of another one.
John 6:37 – is a really good one – why? No one comes to the Father but by me – what does that mean? How do you come to the Father by Christ? What did Jesus just finish telling Thomas? He said, ‘you know the way I am going.’ And what did He mean by that – He meant that He & Thomas know the way, because Jesus is the way, and Thomas knows Jesus.
So, He knows the way. Because Jesus is the way that Jesus goes. Back in John 1:3 – The life was the light of men. Jesus is life. His life is the light, and that is what we must live. As the truth and the light. We live his life, as He was in this world, so are we. We live His life, and that is how we come to God through Christ. By living the light which is His life. That is how you can understand.
No one comes to the Father but by Me, is what Jesus said. How? You come to God through Jesus by living the life of Jesus, living His life. And according to His faith, the faith of Jesus. The righteous shall live out of faith. (Rom 1:17) Out of faith we live Jesus’ life. Through His faith, which is the real faith, that is the unity of the faith that we must all come to. It is His faith, we begin with my faith, but that’s got to grow into His faith. Therefore, so we walk out of faith.
Now what should you have been doing today most of all? Drawing near to God. How? – By living His life. ‘The life I live I no longer live in the flesh’ Gal 2:20. – Paul was living Jesus’s life. And what must we do? We must live Jesus’s life instead of – ‘I wanna’. Jesus laid down His soul for the brethren and that is what we must do. 1 John. Didn’t he command us, love one another? What does love mean? – Sacrifice.
Are you familiar with the gospel circle?
How can you draw near to God? By living His life – how can you learn how to do that. Do Juniors need to get a job in the vineyard? What does that mean? Did Jesus tell a parable about that? Read it. Matt 20:1-16. That is what Juniors need to do, Jesus’ parable.
What do you think about drawing near to God? Why did God make us? Have the Juniors ever heard of teleology and eschatology? Teleology is all about purpose, and eschatology is all about the goal, the end. What’s your goal in life, why did God make us, what purpose? Yes, to glorify Him. Now how are we going to do that? That is the start, draw near to God according to His will. And that means you got to learn to live according to God’s purpose for us. It is either that, or – I wanna, I wanna – and make a mess out of your life. Where does – I wanna – get you?
Draw near to God. Through His faith, which my faith is beginning to be. God plans that your faith grows into His faith. A tiny little seed grows into a big oak tree.
What is believing and what is faith and how do they work together?
Prayer is another really good way to draw near to God. And love one another, What did Jesus do? He laid down His soul! What must we do? Lay down our soul. These are the real things.