Intimacy is defined in the dictionary as a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group, a close association with or detailed knowledge or deep understanding. In this prayer that Jesus offers to God in John, before he is arrested, He goes further in that definition and asks for us to be one, as He and God are one. This is what they call in Latin, Unio Mystica: the mysterious union. It’s not spooky or magical; it simply means that it is a mystery to us or beyond our comprehension. God’s desire is to be one with us, the Creator Eternal God wants to be one with you, can you understand this? God has given us marriage as a way to try and understand this closest of relationships because the 2 become 1 flesh, but even that is hard to understand for us. This morning I want to speak to you about the great gift that God has offered to humanity and how the battle for people’s hearts is being waged all around us. Intimacy brings with it true significance and unity, attributes that many things promise, but never deliver on. What is it about relationship with God that satisfies all these things in the human heart?
1. Intimacy brings significance (vs 21-22)
Ever wonder why the Maker of all things would want to be in close relationship with you? God is the Creator of the universe, the Eternal one, the Almighty and in verses 21 and 22 Jesus makes an unfathomable statement about how God, through Jesus, makes us one with Himself. This magnificent, majestic, and perfect God bringing us into relationship with Himself, do you understand this? This is a profound mystery to humanity, as we look upon God and recognize His holiness, that He would want to have this closeness with me leads me to believe one thing, I am important to God, even though I don’t understand why. Jesus is telling the disciples and us that through relationship with Christ we now know God intimately because we have been brought into communion with Him. God makes us significant.
If you can try and imagine getting a phone call one day from President Obama and he says to you, “I called you today because I think you are pretty amazing and I would really like for you to be my friend.” How special would you feel? Someone of his stature and position calling you to want relationship with you would be cool, but it pails in comparison to God singling you out and sending His Son to die on a cross so that you and Him could be in a relationship. Why He would go to those great lengths to know me is a mystery, but man when you think about it, you just stand back in awe. Why would He love me so? Suddenly you realize that if God thinks I’m significant then what than whether the world thinks me important is insignificant. Yet people strive to be seen as significant to friends, co-workers and people all the time. We want nothing more than to fit in and be accepted. Television feeds us all kinds of remedies for this problem and some of them are absolutely ridiculous, but many of us buy into them in one-way shape or form. (video) Whether it’s the style of your hair, the brand name on your clothing, the make of your car or style of your house, everyone is looking for significance. Someone once said, “the basic human need is to be known,” to be accepted and feel significant. Millions of people, everyday, are trying to find this in relationship. Compromising their own convictions and best judgment in order to feel valued. Do you understand how God values you? God has shown His love, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Rom. 5:8); all those lies and comments about your worth go flying out the window because God loves you so much. Significance is restored in a person’s life and we are accepted for who we are. Only intimacy with God brings this kind of meaning.
2. Intimacy brings unity (Eph. 5:31-32)
God has always been about oneness and unity. The trinity is the ultimate expression of this: 3 in 1. Again something that is impossible for us to fully understand, but it signifies that unity is in the very nature of God. God has now, through Jesus, called us into that unity. In Ephesians Paul uses the marriage relationship to help describe the level of intimacy God is longing for. When a man and a woman come together in this sort of relationship the 2 of them make a commitment to honour and love each other all the days of their lives. As each of them commits to put the best interests of their partner above their own, beginning a relationship that is symbiotic. Even this definition doesn’t capture it and Paul simply says it’s a mystery. No longer 2 individuals, but one now with unified purpose. Giving us an example in which to experience intimacy in the physical, emotional and spiritual, God has clearly displayed how close He wants our relationship to be with him, even though we will never understand why. I don’t know why Donna chose to be with me, I seriously thought she was out of my league, but she chose me. God is infinitely more out of reach for me, yet He made a way to bring me into relationship with Him, while I was still His enemy. Even with all this being true, we still make conscious choices to say, “God you’re not good enough for me today, I want someone or something else.” We break something we committed ourselves to never do.
Selfless commitment is where significance begins, which is what couples do when they stand before the Lord on their wedding day. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that the institution of marriage is under such great attack, trying to feed an alternate version of significance upon humanity. Is it something they can truly find in feelings? What God has destined to be together in unity, Satan is trying to tear apart. God wants to satisfy this longing in us to belong. He invites us into the circle with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He goes as far as telling us that His Spirit will dwell within us. Again God has made his intentions clear and wants to give you that sense of unity and wholeness in your life, but not if you are choosing others before Him. It doesn’t work in marriage and it certainly doesn’t work in relationship with God. Have you devoted yourself to being united with Christ?
Conclusion
Dr. James Dobson once said something very interesting, “I'm certain that most couples expect to find intimacy in marriage, but it somehow eludes them.” Intimacy doesn’t just happen once you put on rings and say ‘I do.’ It involves making an everyday commitment to putting the other person first. The same is true with our relationship with God, have you put Him first, or have you made a promise, but still look for love in other places, tossing your first love aside. Jesus has invited us into this mysterious union this morning, how are you treating this great gift? Have you given up your first love to pursue other things, have you told God He is not enough, and chased things that don’t satisfy? Have you exchanged the truth of God for a lie? This is a battle of worldviews, both promise significance, but only one delivers. I want to give opportunity for people to respond this morning because I believe that there are those who need to come and rekindle this intimacy once more.
