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HEBREWS 11: 5, 6

"COMING TO GOD"

I. WHAT IS MEANT BY  "COMING TO GOD?"
        A. Communication.
                1. Prayer.
                        a. Bringing before God my needs, petitions.
                2. Praise -worshipping, thanking, loving.
                3. Listening - receiving His directives.
                        a. The lost art of silence.
                        b. The tragedy of those who never listen.
        B. The example of Enoch.
                1. Lived in Godless generation similar to ours.
                        a. Seventh from Adam through Seth.
                        b. Seventh from Adam through Cain
        Lamech inventors of arts & sciences, exploiting sex.
                        c. "The imagination of men's hearts evil continually."
                        d. "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
                           Relativity.
                2. Enoch's testimony "walked with God."
                        a. He was in touch with God.
                        b. Out of touch with world around him.
                        c. A necessity to really walk with God.
                                1. The cares of life crowd out our time for prayer and
                                   praise.
                                2. The noises of the world drown out the voice of God.

II. WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS OF COMING TO GOD?
        A. Must believe that He is.
                1. This is not hard - it is natural to believe in God. Helen Keller, Miss
                   Sullivan.
                        a. It takes real effort not to believe.
                        b. You may be an atheist, but it's a real struggle for you to
                           maintain your position.
                2. He is what?
                        a. How can I know what God is?
                                1. I can know what I would be if I were God.
                                        a. So many people when worshipping God,
                                           worshipping own ideas.
                                        b. When people say I believe in God, can be
                                           talking about 1,000 things - force, power,
                                           essence, pansy.
                                2. I can accept the God revealed in the Bible and believe
                                   in Him.
                                        a. God has spoken to man - I can accept that,
                                           2nd hard to think otherwise. condition 
                                        b. Heb .1, "God who at sundry times..."
        B. "That He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." I must more than
           believe in God, I must trust in Him.
                        a. Trust is greater than faith.
                2. I must believe that He will answer if I diligently seek Him.
                3. Some come to God on experimental basis.
                        a. Tried everything else.
                        b. Better to come on this basis than not to come - diligent.

III. THE RESULTS OF COMING TO GOD.
        A. Fellowship established.
        B. Purposes of life experienced.
        C. His light, love, life imparted.
        Effect -- Peace, joy, hope, meaning, fulfillment, the void within filled, "my cup
        runneth over."