The character of God.
The sovereignty of God
The compassion of God
The justice of God
The eternity of God
The intimacy of God.
The Apostles Creed.
- James 4:8, “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.”This morning I want to highlight the fact that God is knowable.
- This morning I want to begin where so many of the sermons in this short series have ended up at the beginning – The early chapters of Genesis.
When God created us as a species he said :-
GE 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
GE 1:27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
In this passage we learn something trerribly important about us and God that we shoulod never forget.
In the image of God He created them?us
God said let us make them in our image and in that I believe he was talking about Himself the Father – Jesus the son and the Holy Spirit.
Note that god made us to be in relationship as he is.
Little wonder he says in:-
GE 2:18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone.
And so he makes a woman to be in community with the man.But none the less God made us in some way to be in community with him thus we read:-
GE 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
GE 3:10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
The reason that the man hid was because there was sin in his life but note that God was walking in the Garden and the conclusion we are left with he was doing that because he wanted to be in relationship with Adam the man he had created.
In his book Drawing near John Bevere notes – It seems to be god’s pattern to make a step toward us, and if we respond, He takes another and draws close.
We see that in the life of Abraham for example where Abraham and God seem to be in an exceptionally close relationship. In Genesis chapter 17 verse 1 Abraham is invited by god to “Walk before me.”
Moses also is in close relationship with God as is Noah.
Five times in the scriptures we read the words “God said to Noah.”
None more significant than the ones that say:-
GE 9:8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
Here God makes a promise to Noah which means that God not only is knowable and wants intamcy he is also prepared to make promises to His creation.
Genesis also says – Genesis 6 verse 9 Noah walked with God.
John Bevere the author I referred to earlier concludes about the intimacy of god that god desires to draw near to us even more that we desire to draw near to Him!
If this is the desire of God who is all the things we have been talking about in the last few weeks for example:-
The sovereignty of God
The compassion of God
The justice of God
The eternity of God
Don’t you think we should discover something of the nature of the intimacy of God and to avail ourselves of every opportunity to respond to his outreached hand.
Later on in Genesis we read of an amazing man who discovered what it was to be intimate with God his name was Enoch:-
Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Enoch was Adam’s great great great great Grandson.
Because of the ages people lived to in those early Bible days Enoch and Adam were familiar with each other – Adam knew what it was to walk with God in the garden and he knew more than any other person who has ever lived what it was to have that perfect communion with god broken off.
Maybe something of that inspired Enoch.
Maybe even they were able to speak together about it Enoch and Adam.
But whatever it was we discover that Enoch is a very special man.
We discover that Enoch walked with God – then we find that he seems to break the life expectancy patterns of his day when people were living eight or nine hundred old years Enoch is taken away at a mere 365 years – along time to us but a brief time compared to his peers.
Why well the answer is found in Hebrews chapter 11.
HEB 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Enoch was so close to God that we discover that God took him away because he pleased God.
My point is god has a desire for intimacy with his people. God is knowable and there are aspects to the relationship with God that are helpful and healthy to know to enable us to enjoy the kind of relationship with God that we should have.
The first principle that we need to draw out is it is very possible to break off ca close relationship with God:-
Exodus chapter 1414 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
In Jeremiah chapter 7 verse 13 we read “I spoke to you,, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer.”
David understood god’s great desire to be in friendship with him in that great Psalm 139 verses 17 – 18 he says:-
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God!
They are innumerable!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
God’s thoughts about David were so vast that he is saying God’s thoughts and musings about this one man exceed in number the grains of sand.
That is a lot of thoughts about one person.
God thinks a lot about you and he thinks a lot about me.
What David is suggesting the degree to which god thinks about you as an individual is more than you could possibly comprehend.
Don’t make the mistake of limiting how much god can think about you because there are 6 billion odd other people living on the planet at this moment. To do that would be to fail to understand the eternal and all powerful aspects of God.
But the relationship with God is able to be damaged and severed.
How do I know this?
Because he had to send Jesus to reconnect us.
The cross is God reconnecting us to his love and kindness and particuarily to his family.
It is interesting how many people in this world picture God as a harsh judge or a fearful God.
God is all powerful and He does have judgement in his hands.
But the overarching desire of God is to be in relationship with us His people.
But we can break off the friendship.
It is beautifully summed up in the words of Jesus:-
MT 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ "
It is possible to break off the relationship with god.
As we read in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption
The first point I want to make in this sermon on the intimacy of god is that it is possible through rebellion, selfishness or disinterest to damage our intamcy with God.
My second point is really a converse point – It is possible to be in intimacy of God.
We have already seen that we are of great value to God
How then do we maintain a intimate relationship with Him.
The other night I came home and flicked on the television set.
Heather’s comment to me was “Talk to me.” We hadn’t talked all day and she wanted me to bring her up to date with what was going on.
I think that was fair enough.
In the same way God wants to be up to date with you.
True he knows about you but that is not the same as talking to you.
Over the next few weeks all of our family are coming home – They have been all over the place but gradually they are traveling home and we will all be together for a few days.
Now we know a lot about our family and have even talked to them on the phone we had a good talk on the phone to Ireland just the other night but that is not the same as all being together for a family meal.
In the same way God desires a close relationship with us.
I found this story which describes something of the relationship that we can have with our heavenly Father:-
- Daddy’s Empty Chair
A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me", he said.
"No, who are you?" said the father.
The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up."
"Oh yeah, the chair." said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?"
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head."
"I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, ’Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with God. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see God on the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, "I will be with you always." Then just speak to him in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’ So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day."
"I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."
The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, annointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later the dauhter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that.”
- Our second point is to take time to be intimate with God.
My third point is remove all barriers to an intimate relationship with God.
When God found Adam there was something between them Adam had rebelled against God.
This was a major issue because that rebellion was to be a smear on all humanity.
Many people today consider “Good worship” as the key to intimacy with God.
I remember a few years back at the height of the charismatic renewal people talking about experiencing god or not experiencing god in accordance with the gifting of the leader.
After some time that kind of approach made me a little nervous.
Admittingly good worship leading is important.
For example:
“I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are discouraged take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.”
Psalm 34:1-3 (NLT)
Also we read of the presence of God happening in extraordinary ways in the scripture for example there is that amazing time of worship when the temple of the lord was dedicated:
2CH 5:11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 12 All the Levites who were musicians--Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives--stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:
"He is good;
his love endures forever."
Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.
But for all that amazing glory and it’s amazing part in God’s plan I wonder if we have to consider it in quite a different way to the relationship and intimacy enjoyed over a whole lifetime by the likes of the Prophet Daniel for example.
Daniel had a testing and difficult life but he enjoyed an intimacy with God and a personal relationship with God like no other.
I wonder sometimes if Christians confuse the high moments of worship with the day to day intimacy with God that the likes of Daniel enjoyed and which finds perfection in the life of Jesus.
“I and the Father.” says Jesus, “are one”
We have learned that God wants intimacy with us but we discover that in order to enjoy that intimacy on an ongoing basis we need to practise the presence of God.
Brother Lawrence was a 17th century Monk who wrote a book called practising the presence of God. Here are some thoughts that he shares:-
"I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love; and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him." ... Brother Lawrence
www.PracticeGodsPresence.com The Practice Of The Presence Of God Words Of Brother Lawrence Each time we read the conversations and letters of Brother Lawrence in The Practice Of The Presence Of God, we move a little closer to Our Father and strengthen the unique relationship each of us has with Him. Sometimes, just a few words or a special quote from Brother Lawrence refreshes, enlivens, and sparks anew the flame of love.~~~~~~~~~~~~I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love; and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him ... and this without any other view than purely for the love of Him, and because He deserves infinitely more. People seek methods of learning to know God. Is it not much shorter and more direct to simply do everything for the love of Him? There is no finesse about it. One only has to do it generously and simply. It is the Creator who teaches truth, who in one moment instructs the heart of the humble and makes him understand more about the mysteries of faith and even about Himself than if he had studied them for a long term of years. God alone is capable of making Himself known as He really is. We search in reasoning and in sciences, as in a poor copy. What we neglect to see is God’s painting Himself in the depth of our soul. Pay little attention to the beautiful words and subtle discourse of the wise of the earth. Woe to those who look to human knowledge to satisfy their curiosity. It is the Creator who teaches the truth and instructs the heart of the humble. In continuing the practice of conversing with God throughout each day, and quickly seeking His forgiveness when I fell or strayed, His presence has become as easy and natural to me now as it once was difficult to attain. We are made for God alone, who can only be pleased when we turn away from ourselves to devote ourselves to Him. I know that for the right practice the heart must be empty of all other things; because God will possess the heart alone; and as He cannot possess it alone, without emptying it of all else besides, so neither can He act there and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him.
Undoubtably the old Acrostic ACTS is useful in practising God’s presence in terms of getting right before God.
A – Adoration consider what we already have said about worship
Confession – Confess and turn from all known sin
Thanksgiving – maintain an attitude of gratitude.
Supplication – Phillipians chapter 4 and verse 6 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally friends may I conclude all of this by concuding:-
James 4:8, “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.”
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