How to Approach God

You know, we're all aware that when we read the Bible, we read it for different reasons. Or at least I think we are when we stand back and ask ourselves, well, why do I read the Bible? Some people read the Bible for nothing more than information. And as members of the church, we're past that particular level. It's not a trivial pursuit exercise. We read it for encouragement, at times when we need encouragement. We read it for instruction over and over and over and over again. We read it for verification as we study. Every so often, we need to verify that we're on the right path, that we understand where God would have us go, and we can go on from there. I was reading the Gospel of Mark a few years back, and this particular time, I was reading simply to have the book speak to me. Say, all right, I don't have an agenda. I didn't open the book so that I could search for this or that. This doctrine, this piece of history, these scriptures, I simply am opening the book. I'll start at verse 1 of the Gospel, and I want it to talk to me. See what it has to say. It was interesting to follow Mark's heavy focus on miraculous healings performed by Christ and the interaction between Christ and those who came to Him. It made me pause and think, how often do we stop and ask the question, how should I approach God?

Since these miraculous healings were healings performed for people who approached Christ, they gave an excellent running account of people making an approach and his response. And it created the question, therefore, what can I learn from these accounts on how to approach God? You know, in a world where many grow up without a live-in father or equally sad, live with an abusive situation, or in some cases have a father who simply does not connect with his children. An increasing number don't know how to approach a truly loving father. You know, there's a difference between how do you approach a father. And when you sit down, you realize people have a range of absent and present and good and not so good. But our heavenly father is a good father, and the question is, how do you approach a good, loving father? We're going to walk through the Gospel of Mark this afternoon, and we're going to look at instances where people did approach Christ, and we're going to extract lessons from those approaches. You know, God is not unlike any truly superb human father. He has a special appreciation for the way some of his children come before him, and there are even instances in Scripture where God tells us how to approach him without turning there, because this is one I know that you know. In Hebrews chapter 4, verse 6, it says, Come before the throne of God boldly. So there's instruction. There's a father saying, Look, come before my throne boldly. You know, what's interesting is in the world we live in, human nature tends to go from ditch to ditch rather than down the highway, and people approach God either groveling or demanding, timid or pushy. And neither of those captures the proper approach to God. We could turn it around in reverse. Those of you that love your children, how would you feel if your children approached you in either of those extreme manners? And the answer is very simple. I don't want my children approaching me in that way. I'd really feel badly if my sons or daughters came before me with either of those extreme approaches. Let's look into Mark and see what we can learn about the right way to approach God. Mark chapter 1 to begin with. Mark chapter 1, beginning in verse 35. Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, he went out and departed to the solitary place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and when they found him, they said to him, everyone is looking for you. But he said to them, let us go into the next town that I may have preached there also, because for this purpose, I have come forth. And he was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and casting out demons. Then a leper came to him, imploring him, kneeling down to him, and saying to him, if you are willing, you can make me clean. And Jesus moved with compassion, put out his hands, and touched him, and said to him, I am willing, be cleansed. As soon as he had spoken immediately, the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

What is the lesson that we can pull from this particular event? Look at verse 40. The leper came to him, and he said to him, if you are willing, you can make me clean.

In verse 41 it says that Jesus was moved with compassion, and he put out his hand and touched him, and he said to the leper, I am willing. Do you notice the leper did not express any doubt in Christ's ability to transform his physical body? He said to him, if you read between the lines, I know that you can do it. That's a fact. The question is, are you willing to do it? You know, this is a polite but a fervent request for the extension of mercy.

So there is no lack of awareness that Christ had the ability to perform the act. And it was a request for you to use power that you have to extend mercy my direction.

Go outside family circles. Go beyond your relatives. Go to anyone who would approach you and ask you a favor in the same spirit. Could you turn them down?

You know, when someone says, I know what you have the ability to do, I know what you can do for me, I am asking you simply if you will do it for me. There is on the receiving end of that always a sense of willingness to respond. And Christ said, I will. You know, in the Sermon on the Mount, you don't need to turn here either. It's in Matthew 7, verses 8 through 11. In that particular area of Matthew, it expresses the fact that God knows how to give good gifts and genuinely enjoys doing so. So as you learn about your father in heaven, you learn that here's a being that enjoys giving good gifts and is willing to do so.

But it is tempered, as we are very well aware from the scripture in James chapter 1, verses 5 and 6, that tells us that if we ask of God, we should do so, quote, nothing wavering, unquote.

And this is how the leper came before Jesus Christ. There was not the doubt in his mind of the ability to perform. There was simply the request or the question of whether there was the willingness to use the power that was there to make his life better. So what do you learn from that particular account? Here's the lesson embedded in it. When you come before God, come confidently.

If I were to add another element to it, I would say come before God politely. We live in a pushy time in history. We live in a demanding time in history. We live in a we live in an entitled time in history. None of these do anyone any good. To come before God with a sense of entitlement, to come before God in a pushy manner, to come before God in a demanding manner is a total waste of time and energy. Come before God confidently, that he appreciates.

Come before him politely also. A chapter later in Mark chapter 2, as I said, Mark, if you read the gospel, it simply goes from miracle to miracle to miracle to miracle to miracle. And it's why it makes such a good exercise in looking at question and response, at approach and God's response to that approach. Mark chapter 2, one of the really great miracles. If I look at all the miracles that Christ performed in the New Testament, this is one of my favorite.

And it's probably true with some of you also. Verse 1 of Mark 2, and again he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house. And immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.

And he preached the word to them. So he was in a residence. The residence filled with people, people craning their neck in the door from both sides, looking in to see, and people standing outside trying to be within earshot so they could hear. And so it simply went from the house through the door out in the street beyond that until people simply were too far away to even be able to hear what was going on.

And a paralytic came, being born on a stretcher by four friends, and this is what they were met with. Verse 3, then they came to him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. Now I'm going to read this to you over again in a different translation because, as you all know, when you read different translations, every so often you get one that has nuances in it that just make the whole thing snap into clearer focus.

So let me start again from the beginning because I'm approaching in the New King James right now the part that I want to really have, make an impression on you. And again, he entered into Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in a house. And immediately many were gathered so that none any longer had room even to the door, and he proclaimed the word to them.

And then they came to him, bringing one who was paralyzed, who was carried by four. And when they could not come near to him because of the crowd, they unroofed the roof where he was. And digging through, they let down the cot, which the paralytic was lying.

I know some of you have been in the Middle East. You could go from Greece to Turkey to Jordan to Egypt to Israel. They're all the same. Hewn stone walls for houses, solid roofs where people who live in climates, you know, very much like Spokane and the inner empire, the high desert, where the sun goes down at night, the temperature goes with it. So you've got your 90-degree days, but when the sun goes down, the temperature does too, and they enjoyed their roof.

So the roof was a major living area and a roof substantial enough for people to live on. So they deconstructed the roof on the house. This wasn't shingles. This wasn't thatched. This was solid. And I don't know what these guys used, but they dismantled the roof on that house. And enough of it to be able to let a six-foot by three-foot stretcher down on ropes into the room next to Christ.

That's impressive. I don't know who carried the insurance on the house, but for the later damage repair. But that's impressive. And verse 5 says, "...and seeing their faith." It doesn't say anything about the paralytic. He simply watched what went on and realized, you've got a party of five involved with this. You've got four really good friends, guys that will go the distance for a buddy.

And one way or the other, they're going to get him in here. Now, they had exactly the same attitude as the leper. It wasn't, well, is this man able to perform? It's simply a matter of how in the world do we get to him. And we're not going through the door, so we're coming through the roof. And seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, child, your sins are forgiven you. Seeing their faith.

James chapter 2, we can turn back there briefly. I don't want to do a great deal of turning to other scriptures. Many of them you know, so the citation of those scriptures is simply to reinforce the lesson. But in James chapter 2 and verse 18, James says, well, someone will say, you have faith and I have works. James says, look, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works.

And when Mark wrote, and seeing their faith, he was describing verse 18 of James.

He took my roof off. You dug through a six by three. You let down the whole litter, dropped it right beside me. I see your faith. Rise up and walk.

One of the things that we don't naturally think about when we think about our relationship to God and how he thinks toward us is that God admires perseverance. It's real, real easy to do the gimme, gimme, gimmies. It's real easy to be passionate about something, pray for it once or twice, and then go on to something else. God admires perseverance. God has a tremendous respect for determination and the expending of energy in order to achieve an honorable and respectable goal. And really, overall, most people don't really grasp how much that weighs in your favor with God. What's the Old Faith Scripture in Hebrews 11.6? Without faith, it's impossible to please Him. For He who comes to Him must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Emphasis on diligently seeks Him.

We're all familiar with Jacob, his wrestling with God to the point where he said, let me go. And Jacob said, not until you bless me. Can you imagine wrestling with anyone with a hip out of joint?

Ever had a bone out of joint?

I don't know how you wrestle with someone with a thumb out of joint, the toe out of joint, let alone a hip out of joint. And he blessed him. So what's the lesson?

Show God how deeply you want His answer by focus and perseverance. Show God how deeply you want His answer by focus and perseverance.

Let me give you a brief counterpoint so you see the heads and tails of it all.

How many of you have had small children who want a gift, want a present? I remember when my kids were small, the feast was coming up. You told them they had a certain amount of money that they could buy a feast gift. You took them to Toys R Us. I want that. Oh, no, I want that. I want that. I want that. By the time you got through the serpentine of all the isles, there were probably 15 things they wanted. You say, okay, you got this much money and it will buy one or two of those things. What do you want? And you look at the struggle with indecision. God wants focus and He wants perseverance. I remember my kids telling me that they wanted this, they wanted that, they wanted something else. And my wife and I had a conversation. I said, you know, the way I really, really know what one of my sons truly wants is when I get the same request over and over and over. It isn't a matter that I walk by the store window and I saw that and I say, I want that. The next week I saw something else and I want that. A week later I want that. It's when I, it was when I want and it's the same thing repeated over and over. And I said, you know what? There's where I'm willing to put my gift money. God is no different. Show Him how deeply you want something by both focus and perseverance.

You know, sometimes it isn't so much about understanding how we should approach God, but understanding the nature of the one that we're approaching. And Mark chapter 5 gives us a window to the other side. It's important to know how we should approach Him. It's also good to understand how He views our approaching. In this particular case, as I said, we'll go to Mark chapter 5. And we'll start in verse 24. Verse 24 says, So Jesus went with Him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. So He had a great following. And while this great following thronged Him, which means He was just in a crunch of followers, a certain woman, verse 25, had a flow of blood for 12 years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. And when she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. And she said, if only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.

And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus immediately, knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched my clothes? And His disciples said to Him, His disciples were probably sitting there saying, Get real. Oh, here you are. You can barely move for all the people around you. And you're asking, Who touched my clothes? You know, He was on a different level of perception than they were. They said, You see the multitude thronging you, and you say, Who touched my clothes? And He looked around to see her, who had done this thing. And the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.

As I said, sometimes we need to look at the other side. This is an illustration of how people of power use and view their power. Or let's narrow it. This is how God and godly people of power view the power they have and how to exercise that power. You see, Christ gave us the counterpoint to that when He pointed out the Gentiles. And He said, You see the Gentiles? The Gentiles like to lord it over people. So He was describing one of the negatives. One of those, this is what you don't want to be like. And He said, You see the Gentiles? They like to lord it over people. Other time, He gave the example of the Pharisees. He said, You see the Pharisees? They like preeminence. They like the chief seats. They like to stand in the synagogues and be admired and held in great awe for what they're doing. We get used to the worst case. We get to see those things. It's no great problem being able to see what Christ said in real life in modern time, because there are people who are like the Gentiles. And there are those who simply relish and seek after fame, fortune, popularity, the spotlight. We also are able, whether we realize it or not, to see a world that has never lost the influence and the impact of those religions that were the predecessors to the false religions in the early Christian times, the worlds that were influenced by the gods of Greece and Rome. The gods of Greece and Rome were anything but benevolent. They were anything but stable. They were anything but predictable. And so trying to weed through all of that to see where God is can sometimes be a little bit of a challenge. The lady, if we look at her in this case, had the same faith that we've seen already in two earlier cases. She had a little bit of a challenge. She knew, just like the leper and the paralytic, if I can get to him, I'll be okay.

So all of them were exercising the same faith. What she didn't know is how Christ would view her intrusion into her personal space. That's why she responded. When he stopped and said, who touched me? Being an honorable individual, instead of saying, how fast can I get out of here, she was sitting there enjoying the benefits of having been healed. And she simply went before him honorably and said, I am the one. But she didn't know how he would view her intrusion into his personal space. So in this case, this is an illustration that is instructional of Christ's attitude. The one representing the Godhead who could respond to a need. What we see here is he had none of the qualities we humans often associate with power. In the world that we live in.

Despite all of his power, he was gentle toward those who sincerely sought his help.

So the lesson?

The lesson is simply a reminder of knowing the fact that God is very tender hearted toward genuine people. Let's turn now one more chapter to Mark 6 for another layer of lessons. Remember, as we've seen so far, that our faith is a critical component to our approaching God. In Mark 6, beginning in verse 1, the faith is a critical component to our approaching God. In Mark 6, beginning in verse 1, and then he went out from there and came to his own country, and his disciples followed him. And when the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many, hearing him, were astonished, saying, where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to him that such mighty works are performed by his hands? Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, Simon, and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. This was a, who does he think he is? audience. I know his mom, I know his dad, I know his brothers, and his sisters still live in town. Who does he think he is? Look at verse 5. Look at verse 5 and the impact of all of that. Now he could do no mighty works there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

He could do no works of power there, as one translation said it, except that he laid his hands on a few sick ones and healed them. And verse 6 says that he marveled because of their unbelief.

This is the opposite side of the coin.

This is the side of the coin that demonstrates the ability of faithlessness to undo good things. We watch three examples of faith opening a doorway for God to do fabulous things for people who approached him with faith, energy, and determination. And now we see his hometown, and we see the flip side of the coin of the ability of faithlessness to literally unravel and to undo everything.

You know, some of the lessons you learned at the very beginning of your ministry are impactful, and they never leave you. I remember as a pastor in Mobile, Alabama, being approached by a woman who had a very serious problem, and she had asked if I would come to her, and I did, and she laid out the problem that she had. And it was almost in sitting and listening to her, like reading a page out of the Bible, because like the woman who was healed of the issue of blood, she was of that same mindset. She had heard the World Tomorrow broadcast. She understood its source, and she said, if I can only get Mr. Armstrong to pray for me, if I can write a letter, and it gets there, and he receives it, and he will pray for me, I know that I will be healed.

And she was. As she recounted to me, this had been years earlier, as she recounted to me, she sent the letter. The letter was received and responded to, and she was healed of a very serious condition. The condition had come back, and that's why she called me. And she recounted the entire story, and at the end of the story said to me, that I now, at this point, do not necessarily believe it will be healed again.

And it was like looking at the first three illustrations that I've read you and Mark. And like reading Mark 6, all the prayers, all the encouragement, all the exhortation to remember the faith that she had had, the original time, were all exercises in futility.

There was no healing. And for someone to have experienced a miracle at the level that she had experienced, to now be back at the same place a decade later and find that there's no relief, it's a sad situation to see.

This is back to the point in James chapter 1 that says, nothing wavering. Nothing wavering. And the simple statement that those who waver let them understand that they will not receive anything. It's a very simple formula.

There's a summary here from that example, brethren. God cannot relate to or work with faithlessness. And I mean both of them. He cannot relate to it. And he can't work with it. I think as human beings, we don't understand the level of insult that comes God's direction with the act of faithlessness. God rests everything on His name. You know, one place in the Bible, he says, I swore by the most powerful thing in the entirety of the universe. I swore by my own name. There's no bank with greater credibility than my name. And when we approach God in His name, and we don't really believe He's listening or will respond, what's the implication? Let's go on to another example now. We're going to add an element to the unroofing account.

As I said, these miracles flow one after the other, after the other, after the other, so that literally each chapter contains another lesson in how to approach and interact with God. So chapter seven now, and verse 25.

This is an account about a woman with a young daughter who had an unclean spirit, and she had heard about Christ, and she came and fell at His feet. Now, the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she kept asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs. Now, I realize in our day and time, that's an insulting verse, but you have to put it in the context of the times. He just simply said there's a priority here, and he wasn't in an insulting manner, calling her a dog. He was making the illustration of the difference between what is there to feed my children should go to my children, not to the pets that are around the table. And she answered and said to him, Yes, Lord. In other words, I don't disagree with you, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs. My wife and I spent two weeks in Texas before going to the council meeting before coming here. My wife has been going since our granddaughter was starting the first grade. She's freshman in high school this year, so you know how many years my wife's been going to babysit the kids, because my son and daughter-in-law are both in the school system. So one has to report two weeks before school, the other a week before school, and the kids don't have anybody to care. So Nana comes over from the west coast to Texas, takes care of the kids, and watches over them during that particular time. They've got a docent, and for the last two weeks he's sat next to my chair, tail going 90 to nothing and looking up, saying, Crumbs. Crumbs. Send me some crumbs. So when I look at this particular illustration and the lady's saying, but you know, master, even the little dogs under the table get to eat of the children's crumbs. I thought, well, I've spent two weeks watching the little dog, their docent named Max, hoping for crumbs. And a very pointed example for me. Then he said to her, For this saying, for this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.

For this saying. You know, this is a complex one, and it is a beautiful one at the same time. You can believe that Christ was affected by this lady in the same way you are, because you look at the results. The humbleness of this lady was disarming.

You ever been disarmed by genuine humility?

As I said, we're in a day and time where people, you can take it for granted that somebody may be pushy, someone may feel entitled, someone may be direct. It takes you off guard when you're met with absolute, total, complete, genuine humility. It's disarming. There's no demanding. There's no sense of entitlement. There's no huffing and puffing. There's no recrimination if I don't get exactly what I want. You know, we're jaded enough that there are people who learn how to play humble and do it with a thin enough veneer that you can see through it. And you know, as they approach you, that all you have to do is say no. And the white saintly robe comes off and there is pure meanness behind it. Why? How dare you? Why? Christ saw a genuine human being. He saw genuine humility. And it was disarming. As I said, he saw not one single bit of demanding entitlement, no huffing, no puffing, no pouting. But as I said earlier, she didn't give up.

How many people would have said, well, how dare you say that to me? Why? You fill in the blanks and off they would go. She reasoned with him honorably, respectfully. She was, if you know, she was in the truest sense, a lady in her approach. And she wasn't a quitter.

She reasoned with Christ.

And she did so wisely and she did so humbly. You know, God is not opposed to a good conversation with his children.

I love the conversation between God and Abraham before the two angels go to Sodom and Gomorrah. Ever want a good illustration, just as a refresher of a good conversation between an honorable man and God? You go back and read it.

Can I talk to you about where you're going? Yes, you may. I care about that city. I care about the people. If you can find X number of people there, would you spare them? I would. I would.

And as Abraham notched it down a notch at a time, you know, he was wise enough and honorable enough in his conversation to reach the place where he said, in the way he said it, that I realize that I am reaching that point where the line between a reasonable request and an unreasonable request are beginning to meet one another. And I want you to know that I know that and that I don't want to cross that line. You know, there's so many pieces of communication between the lines when we talk. And Abraham was making it known to God that I truly appreciate your willingness to listen to me and grant some latitude to these people. But I also know there's a point at which it becomes ridiculous and my request goes from being honorable to really offensive. And I want you to know that I don't necessarily know exactly where that line is, but I want you to know that I don't want to cross it.

It was a great conversation. Fabulous conversation. The lesson? God will respect good, mannered persistence.

He doesn't say, look, get out of here. Leave me alone. I'm tired of listening to you. God will respect good, mannered persistence. Persistence.

Let's look at the last one, Mark 9.

Mark 9, verses 20-24.

Then he brought to him, and when he saw him immediately, the Spirit convulsed him. So they brought somebody who had a demon, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So he asked the Father, this was a child, he asked the Father, how long has this been happening to him? And the Father said from childhood, and often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help him.

And Jesus said to him, if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. And so Christ is reminding this man of the very essence that has made every miracle from the leper to the paralytic to the woman with the issue of blood all cases of people being healed. And he reminds this man of that reality. If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. And immediately the Father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

Interesting, interesting case. The Father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Turn with me to Hebrews 4. Hebrews 4, verse 15 says, For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. We don't have a high priest who is incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses. This man said, I have faith. I have belief. Help my unbelief.

I'm like the man standing over the bar on a teeter-totter with feet on both sides. Do I have my foot on the side labeled faith? Yes, I do. But when I look down, the other foot is on the side that is labeled disbelief. Help me get both feet over on the right side. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. We are weak. The people handle weaknesses in different ways. Some bluff, and you see through the bluff. And other people that, you know, they sputter and they mutter and they go through all of the pretense. And you walk away and you smile and say, you know, the veneer is too thin. You see right through that person, it's all bluster. It's all rough. This man had some faith, but he was willing to look honestly to himself before Christ, very honestly to himself, and to admit that he didn't have all of what he should have there and what he wanted there. I think every single solitary one of us over and over again goes before God. And whether we articulate it in words or not, we go before God with the message to God, I want to be more than I am. Sometimes we go before him and we communicate to him, I want to be more than I am, and I don't know exactly how to be more than what I am in the way that I should be. Oh, here I am. My desire is to be like you, to think like you, to act like you, and I know that I'm not totally there yet by any means. Help me with the areas where I'm deficient. When you look at Mark 9, 20 to 24, you look at the gentleman with his young adult who from childhood has been phenomenally tormented mentally. The lesson here is be honest with God. Oh, let me take it a step further. Be honest with God and yourself.

God knows you inside out, but he also likes to know that you know yourself inside out, and that you really truly desire him to help improve your spiritual state.

Lesson, be brutally honest with God about yourself, and unjustifying. You know, the man didn't say, Lord, I have some faith. That leaves him off the hook.

That's the, I don't have to be as candid with you approach. When he said, do you believe? He said, well, yeah, I've got some belief. You know, he laid it all out. He said, yes, I have belief. Help my unbelief. The man was given what he asked for because God respected his honesty, respected the fact that he'd look in the mirror and see who was there and identify it and walk forward knowing and admitting that this is who I am. Be honest and unjustifying with God. Well, as you can see in the sermon, the sermon takes us all the way to Mark chapter 9, which means in terms of the lessons that Mark has to offer, there are a lot more.

But it gives us an opportunity to allow the book to lead us through a question. How do I approach God and to come out of it with a far sharper focus on how we interact with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and how they desire and hope that we will approach their throne?