Turn with me if you would now to James chapter four. James chapter four. I believe I really have something to say tonight. We're going to move around quite a bit in the scripture to really show and prove something. And I wanna especially bring your attention to the first part of this message. One line in James chapter four is our text and our subject matter. We've looked at it many times before. Many times before. But I pray the Lord will open it up to us in a special way. James 4 verse 8 says, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. That is our text and that's our subject matter. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.

Now let me establish something and then let me explain something and then let's see if we can enter into something. Let's establish this first. Turn with me if you would to John chapter 6. John chapter 6 verse 44 says, and this is our Lord Jesus Christ speaking, he said, no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Well, no man can draw nigh to God unless God draws that man or woman to God. That is the only way. That is the only way. If anyone is going to draw nigh to God, God is going to have to draw that person. If anyone is going to draw nigh to God, God is going to have to draw that person. God has to draw that person in the beginning. God has to draw that person in the middle and God has to draw that person in the end. God has to draw that person in the quickening call to salvation that God has to do that. God has to draw that person in the keeping call. There is a keeping call throughout the course of this life. God has to do that. And God has to draw that person in the final eternal call to glory. God is going to have to do it. God has to do it. And he has, he does, and he will do it. And he does it by way of his word. I really do believe I have something to say tonight. He does this, he draws his people through his word. He draws his people through his word.

Turn with me to Psalm 27. Psalm 27, verse 8. David said, when thou saidst, seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek. When he says, seek me. That's the moment that my heart says, You know what? I think I want to seek the Lord. That desire only comes from his word first saying to us, seek me. You seek me. Isaiah 55 says, seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. That will not happen unless the Lord says, seek me, call on me. He gets the glory for that. He gets the credit for that. He gets our praise and thanks every time it happens because we know he did it. We know he did it.

You're with me back to James chapter four. James 4 verse 8 says, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. This verse was pressed on my heart out of personal need. I've told you before, so often these messages, they come from my own personal need. That's where these things come from. And in the moments, the weeks maybe leading up to our conference and throughout the conference, it was a very busy time. It has been a very busy time just for me, just for my own personal reasons. I mean, not for obvious reasons, but it's been a very busy time. It's been overwhelmingly busy. And it was so busy, I felt like I was just going through the motions trying to get everything done. for the weeks leading up to the conference. I still had to preach, still had to study. Study, preach, study, preach, study, preach, study, preach, study, preach, study. This is my life. Study, preach. And then all these other things have to be done and life happens. And I felt like I was just going through the motions. You ever feel like that? You ever feel like you're just going through the motions? Just trying to get everything done.

And I had a moment where I realized I was making our bed. Yes, sometimes I do actually make our bed. But I was making the bed thinking, Here I am making the bed. We're going to go back this day. I'm going to get back in this bed, mess it up. I'm going to make up the bed again. We're just going to make up the bed again, and make up the bed again, and keep doing today, and then make up the bed again. And I just really entered into the fact that life on this earth is like a mouse on a wheel, or a hamster on a wheel, or whatever runs on a wheel. You feel like you're running and running and running, but are you really getting anywhere? I mean, I kind of do the same thing every day. You get so caught up in the wheel, you don't have time to focus on anything but the wheel. You kids, I mean, I was thinking about you, you know, kids and Teenagers, you get up, you get ready, you got to go to school every day. And you go through classes, and you can't wait to get out of school. And then after school, you have after school activities. And you eat dinner, and you do homework, and whatever else it is you do. And then you got to go to bed so you can get up tomorrow and do the same thing again. And then you parents who have kids and teenagers, you get up. Because you've got to get your kids up because they won't get up. And you've got to get them ready. And you're the one who has to get them to school. And then you go to work, to your office, or your home, or whatever it is. And there's never enough time in the day to get all the work done. And you've got to get the kids from school and run them all over town for their activities. Somehow you've got to get dinner on the table, make sure they actually do their homework, get in the bed because we've got to get up and do this again. We've got to do the same thing again. It's a hamster wheel, it's a mouse wheel, it's some kind of wheel. Over and over, this is going to continue for an entire life. An entire life, until maybe you have one tiny little moment to say you're in retirement. Which, what does that mean, you don't work anymore? Is that what that means? I don't think so. The grass grows, and you mow it. And the grass grows, and you mow it. And the grass grows, and you mow it. And the grass grows, and you mow it. Grass grows, and you mow it. And then that's it. You clean the house, and the kids mess it up. You clean the house, and the kids mess it up. You clean the house, and the kids mess it up. Until you clean the house, and the grandkids mess it up. And you clean the house, and the grandkids. And then that's it. It's a chaotic routine that you get caught up in and before you know it, it's over.

And James is the one who penned right here in verse 13. If you look at James 4 verse 13, he said, Go to now ye that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain, whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? What is your life? How important really is all that stuff that happened between the times you made the bed? What is your life? He said, it is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. For that you ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that.

The point of this message tonight is I want to stop the wheel for just a minute. I want to stop the wheel for just a minute. And I want all of us to hear the word of our Lord. I want to hear the word of our Lord in hopes that this word will call us to the Lord Jesus Christ. in hopes that this world will take our eyes off of the wheel for just a moment and will turn our eyes to Christ. Don't you want that?

We are drawn to our Lord through his word. That is his means in the beginning, In the beginning, this is how a person comes to know Christ, right here. That's His means in the beginning, that's His means in the middle, and it will be His means in the end.

He puts us in a position, and this is what strikes me, we are so blessed to be here right now. We didn't realize how blessed we were today, that He would allow us to end up right here. He puts us in a position where we hear His Word declared and His Spirit pierces the heart with His Word. His Spirit makes His Word effectual to the hearts of His people and they hear it. They really hear it. They really hear it.

And they say, you know what? That's right. Stop the wheel. That's right. That's what I want. All this stuff that's been happening between moments of making the bed, wait a minute. That's what I desire. That is what I desire. The Word makes everything real again. His spirit makes everything come alive again. He reveals himself again to his weary child.

And this is what he says, come to me. Come to me. And in that moment, the child says, and this is not an audible voice. This is a voice speaking to the heart. But in that moment, the child knowingly or unknowingly says, You know what? I'm tired of this mouse wheel stealing all of my attention and all of my affection. And I think I want to draw nigh again to the Lord Jesus Christ, my God. My Lord, my Savior, my God.

And the moment that our hearts sincerely cry, Lord, can I come to you? He says, here I am. He does that. Draw an eye to God, and he'll draw an eye to you, because he has drawn an eye to you.

Now, if that is our desire, if hearing his word right now is creating that desire in us to draw nigh to him, then let's do that in these two ways. If he moves on us and causes us to say, I truly want to draw nigh to him, then let's hear and heed his word in these two ways. I told you I wanted to draw special attention to the beginning of the message. And I did, but now I want to draw special attention to the end of the message. Let's hear and heed his word in these two ways, all right?

Number one, turn to Hebrews 10. Turn back just a few pages to Hebrews 10. Verse 19 says, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. And that's how we enter in. And that's where our boldness comes from. That's what made us able to enter into the holiest, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of Christ, the cross of Christ. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, not a dead works of this flesh way, but by a living way, Christ, our life, which he hath consecrated, that means newly made for us, through the veil. That veil was that big heavy curtain that separated everybody from the holy of holies, the holiness of God. When Christ hung on that cross, bearing the sins of his people, pouring out his blood when he cried, Into thy hand, it is finished. Into thy hands I commend my spirit. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost and died. God the Father reached down and ripped that veil in twain, ripped that veil in two, top to bottom, and enabled all of his people to enter straight in.

And verse 20 says, By a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say His flesh, that veil represented His flesh, His body that was broken, His body that was torn and bruised to make a newly consecrated way for His people to enter in.

Verse 21, and having an high priest over the house of God, someone who will intercede for us, someone who will atone for us, bring in blood for us, his own blood.

Verse 22, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Let us draw near. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

How do we do that? Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is. but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

If our desire is to draw nigh to God, and if he draws us by the hearing of his word, then let's make the hearing of his word our number one priority. If our desire is to draw nigh to God, And if he draws us by the hearing of his word, then let's make the hearing of his word our number one priority. Let's make our assembling together our number one priority.

Sadly, this flesh is so prone to falling away. Sadly, so prone to drifting away, we need to be sober, we need to be vigilant, and we need to fight against drifting away. You say, well, if we're gonna be kept, aren't we gonna be kept by the power of God? Yes, we are. He will use this means of His Word being declared. Hearing His Word say, don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together. We will hear Him say that in His Word, and His Word will convict our hearts. And we will say, you know what? I don't want to drift away. I don't want to drift away. So I'm going to make it my business to gather with the saints every time they gather around God's word.

Probably the saddest thing in the world to me is watching believers drift away. I'm pretty sure that's the saddest thing in the world to me. And the reason is because I know that I could easily be at the top of the list. If the Lord takes one finger off of me, I'm gone. I'm flesh. This flesh is prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. It starts out small. I'm going to be very candid with us because it's so important. It starts out small. We drift away a little bit. It starts out small, seems innocent. And one person will do it. And then another person will see that one do it. And we'll say, well, if he can do it, I can do it too. I'm pretty sure he's still a believer. So I'm pretty sure I can still be a believer and do it too. This is just how it goes. And we'll come up with every excuse under the sun for ourselves. And the next thing you know, the worship services start dwindling and dwindling.

And the Lord is my witness. I say this in great humility. This is not for the purpose of having high numbers in church. Eternity's coming. And there's only one thing needful, and everything else is a mouse wheel. And we see this, this is a real thing. The worship services start dwindling in fervency and then in body. There's no real fervent heart or spirit left because we've drifted away from our Lord.

Look at verse 24 right here. It says, let us consider one another to provoke. You ever been provoked? Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. What is that? How is that? Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

But don't you believe in God's sovereignty? Don't you believe in God's? Yes. I also believe in God's means. Exhort. Provoke. What he's saying is, draw nigh to God. Draw nigh to God. Gabe Stoniker, you need it. Draw nigh to God. I'm preaching to me, mostly. Draw nigh in assembling with the saints. Let's, may God give us a fervent heart. If it's gonna happen, he's gonna do it. But Lord, don't let us dwindle. Don't let us drift away. Don't let us keep us. Give us a heart to draw nigh in assembling with the saints for the hearing of the word. Lord, please don't let us ever grow cold to hearing the word preached. Number two, let's draw nigh in this way, all right? Turn over to Matthew 15. I'm almost done. Matthew 15, verse 7, it says, Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Now, this is what started me wanting to be here tonight. All right, here is my confession to you. The scripture says, confess your faults one to another. It doesn't say confess your sins, but it says confess your faults. So here's my confession to you. So often I feel like a hypocrite. So often I feel like a hypocrite going through the motions Doing my job. Y'all ever do your job? I got a job. I got to get my job done. I got to do my job. I got a job to do. We got to get the job done. So often I feel like a hypocrite going through the motions, doing my job, honoring him with my lips. This is my job. to honor him with my lips. This is what I get paid to do. But I feel like my heart is so far from him.

You say, Gabe, that's a little too honest. Well, I'm sorry. I told my dad after the conference was over, and I knew everything was going to settle down a little bit. This is what I said to him. I said, I can't wait to get back to prayer. That's what I'm looking so forward to. I'm looking forward to really praying again. And I had to ask the Lord, would you let me really pray to you again? I had to pray about that for a while. Would you let me honestly, sincerely, deeply pray to you again? And I believe he did.

But at the same moment in time, I know the only reason that I asked him, would you let me pray to you again? Is because he said to me, pray to me. And that's when my heart said, Lord, would you let me pray to you again? This is his faithfulness, not mine, not yours. It's his faithfulness. And I pray that he'll say that to all of our hearts. I pray he'll say to all of us, pray to me. Come to me, draw near to me in body and in heart. In mind, in soul, if he will do that, we will draw near to him. I pray he'll take this word and use this to draw us near to him.

I do draw near to God. He'll draw near to you. Amen.