Communion With God: The Foundation Of Life - Part 1

Communion With God: The Foundation Of Life - Part 1

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Introduction:

1. Last week, we discovered from God’s Word that God Almighty desires to have a personal relationship with you. He has made complete provision for you to have that relationship with Him.

2. But did you know that God also desires your constant communion? If you look up the word “communion” in Webster’s, it defines it as “intimate fellowship; a close relationship with someone or something.”

3. Mankind was created to have that daily communion with God. Mankind has a built-in need to connect with God. Without it you are empty, and you will find a substitute to try to fill that void. This is called idolatry. Romans 1:25

4. God desires to have a relationship with you, but also daily, ongoing communion or fellowship. Relationship paves the way for fellowship, but does not guarantee it.

• Illustration: A couple falls in love, gets married, and possesses a marital bond - a relationship. But whether or not they enjoy a close fellowship depends on their daily decisions.

5. Your daily communion with God is absolutely essential, whether you realize it or not. It provides the foundation for everything else in your life.

• It gives you the grace to endure the trials of life.

• It makes the good times sweeter and makes you more thankful for them.

• It enhances your other relationships in life and allows them to blossom.

• It makes you a stronger and better balanced person.

• It makes you a discerning person. You are able to see life clearly, understand what really matters, and make good decisions.

6. What does it mean to have communion with God? There are many different names you could use for it. The most common would be “prayer.” You could also use the word “worship.” But at its very core, it is simply talking with God. Communion with God is communicating with God.

• Illustration: Any marriage counselor will tell you that one of the absolute keys to marriage is communication. A married couple cannot ignore each other and expect to have a satisfying and enjoyable relationship.

7. I’m fearful that many times we ignore God, and then we wonder why our lives seem unbearable, why our human relationships are falling apart, why we keep making bad decisions, why we struggle with destructive attitudes and actions, why God seems distant, etc.

8. Our communion with God must be the core - or hub - of everything else in our lives. It provides a stable foundation for everything else.

9. God desires your communion. He wants you to express your love to Him, to thank Him, to seek His guidance, to explore the words He has written to you, to trust Him, to depend on Him, to sing to Him, to praise Him, etc.

10. Let’s look at an Old Testament story of King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29. Israel had forsaken God, and Hezekiah restored the worship of God and communion with God. There are several principles we can learn from this story that will help us.

First, our communion with God must be based on truth.

1. If you read this entire chapter you will see that Hezekiah made sure that when they approached God, they did it just as God had told them to in the law. vs. 20

• They took animals, sacrificed them, and sprinkled the blood on the altar. Why? To make atonement for their sins. vs. 23-24

• Their worship was based on God’s revealed truth.

2. Of course, we know that these animal sacrifices were only temporary and were shadows until one, final sacrifice for all of mankind’s sin could be made.

• That sacrifice has been made, and it was Jesus Christ (the Son of God) who gave His life and shed His blood for our sins.

• This was all done so that we could be reconciled to God. Colossians 1:20-22

3. How do you appropriate Christ’s sacrifice for yourself, personally? It is by simply believing, in faith. Romans 5:1

4. The whole basis of your communion with God is your relationship with Christ.

• Jesus is truth! He is called True and Faithful. Without a relationship with Christ, we cannot approach God in prayer. You cannot commune with God any other way than through Jesus Christ. John 4:24; cf. John 14:6

• You cannot enter into God’s presence to commune with Him by trying to go through Mohammed, or through a priest, pastor, a dead saint, etc.

5. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5; cf. Ephesians 2:18-19

6. By believing on Christ, you now have a relationship with God. You are part of His family. You now can commune with God in truth. You have complete access through Christ. Ephesians 3:11-12