SPIRITUAL INTIMACY BEGINS WITH A LIFE PHILOSOPHY.
Selected Scriptures
Psalm 73:25-28 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.
Just as the Psalmist yearned for God – it should be the desire of every believer to want to go deeper in their relationship with the Father.
Augustine, The City of God ‘There is a God-shaped vacuum in every man that only Christ can fill.’
I. THE BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF SPIRITUAL INTIMACY
When you read the Scriptures you are immediately impressed with the depth of experience that many had with God.
☛ Abraham became God’s friend - James 2:23
☛ Enoch walked with God - Gen. 5:22,24
☛ Jacob saw God face to face - Gen. 32:30
☛ Moses spoke to God face to face as a man speaks to his friend - Exodus 33:11
☛ Gideon saw the Angel of the Lord face to face - Judges 6:22
☛ David was a man after God’s own heart - Acts 13:22
☛ Daniel found favor with God - Daniel 10:11,19
☛ Mary found favor with God - Luke 1:28
In a brutal, self seeking, self serving world
✖ where sex is nothing more than a physical act
✖ where there is no sense of loyalty
✖ where marriages have prenuptial agreements.
✖ where euthanasia, abortion are the values of the day rather than honoring life and respecting the elderly....
✖ intimacy is a word that has become endangered.
Yet, God wants us to have an intimate relationship with him. He pictures this relationship in various ways in the Scripture.
A. THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP. A shepherd knows his sheep - his sheep hear his voice. He is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. He comforts and protects with his rod and staff. God is like a Shepherd.
B. A HUSBAND AND WIFE. God pictures Himself as Israel’s bridegroom in Isaiah and Jeremiah. Christ is the bridegroom for his church in Ephesians 5.
C. AS A FATHER AND CHILD. The story of the Prodigal is not given to tell us that there will be prodigals, it is given to give us insight into what the Father is like. He is loving, longing, waiting for his prodigals to come into fellowship with him.
Jesus told us that God the Father is ‘Abba’ Father. We are his children through the blood of His Son Christ Jesus.
II. THE PERSONAL NEED FOR SPIRITUAL INTIMACY.
There will forever be a tension between intimacy and keeping a holy reverence for God.
TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON EITHER SIDE WILL LEAD US TO GET OUT OF BALANCE.
The reason many don’t have an intimate relationship with God is that they know facts about God but don’t know God.
A. W. Tozer “You and I are in little (our sins excepted) what God is in large. Being made in His image we have within us the capacity to know Him. In our sins we lack only the power. The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition.
That is the heavenly birth without which we cannot see the kingdom of God. It is, however, not an end, but an inception, for now beings the glorious pursuit, the heart’s happy exploration of the infinite riches of the Godhead....
To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.”
A. SPIRITUAL INTIMACY IS A LIFE OBJECTIVE.
ALL OVER THE WORLD - PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR MEANING/ PURPOSE IN LIFE.
☛ WHY AM I HERE? WHY WAS I BORN?
☛ WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO W/ MY LIFE?
The issue is - your sense of purpose – your philosophy of life. If you want your life to count for something – to have eternal value, you have to start with your philosophy of life.
R. Buckminster Fuller, ‘Philosophy gains validity by the practical application of its general principles.’
In other words – my philosophy of life is my way of life. Your world view.
HOW YOU USE THE TIME GOD HAS GIVEN YOU WILL LARGELY DETERMINE WHAT LEVEL OF INTIMACY YOU HAVE.
I want to give you the basic philosophy that has driven me most of my ministry. I want to encourage each of you to develop your own philosophy of life – your purpose statement. Then, begin to adjust your life, schedule, hobbies, interests, use of time in light of it.
TO KNOW, LOVE AND GLORIFY GOD, AND TO BE USED OF HIM T O MAKE DISCIPLES, MATURE THE CHURCH AND ADVOCATE REVIVAL.
III. SPIRITUAL INTIMACY BEGINS WITH A DESIRE TO KNOW GOD.
A. THERE IS A GOD, AND HE CAN BE KNOWN.
The 1st ? that comes to mind with the skeptic is, “Can God be known?’ the answer on every page of Scripture is YES!
SOME ARGUE THERE IS NO GOD – OR IF THERE IS, HE CAN’T BE KNOWN. For the skeptics I ask:
1. Have you seen every corner of the universe and beyond? If you haven’t, you can’t say, there is no God. His universe exists so that we might know Him.
2. Just because God is invisible to us, does that deny His reality?
3. Do you know enough about God to recognize Him if He did show up?
If a man had a mind that could comprehend 50% of the universe (which is impossible) – that would mean that there is STILL a 50% possibility that God exists in the area his mind can’t comprehend.
It is inherent in personality to know other personalities. It takes time to get to know someone - to know what they think, how they feel, what motivates them.
If that is true in our earthly friendships, how much more in our relationship with God.
God has revealed Himself in His Word. He has revealed His heart - his motive - his purpose in creation - his purpose for man.
Jesus said, If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. IF WE WANT TO KNOW what God is like – we have to study the life of Jesus.
Unfortunately, most church members know some facts about God - like they know facts about some person they read about in the paper – but they don’t know God.
Paul says in Romans 1 - some knew God, but did not honor Him as God.... This is the epitaph of the overwhelming majority of church members.
History channel and see series like ‘Great Mysteries of the Bible’ and listen to some of these scholars – they know about God historically – but I don’t see any evidence of knowing God personally.
THE ISSUE IS NOT: DO I KNOW GOD – THE ISSUE IS, DOES GOD KNOW ME?
Matt 7:21-" Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 " Many will say to Me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 "And then I will declare to them, ’I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
B. THERE IS A GOD, AND WE MUST LONG TO KNOW HIM.
Paul expressed this longing in Phil 3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE - GOD OF HEAVEN - WANTS TO KNOW US – AND IT SHOULD BE OUR DESIRE TO KNOW HIM.
A. W. Tozer ‘He waits to be be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.’
David expressed this Psalms 27:4 One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.
If that verse is true – then most so called Christians will never have a heart for intimacy – they can’t even make it to church 3 out of 4 weeks on Sunday morning.
WHAT WE WOULD CALL COMMITMENT – THE WRITERS OF SCRIPTURE WOULD CALL CARNALITY. That’s why we don’t have intimacy with God.
✒ IF I DON’T KNOW HIM, I CAN’T LOVE HIM.
✒ IF I DON’T LOVE HIM, I WILL NOT TRUST HIM.
✒ IF I DON’T TRUST HIM, I CAN NOT PLEASE HIM.
Heb. 11:6 ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God...’
In Genesis God went looking for Adam. He walked in the Garden, ‘Where are you Adam?’ – God was seeking him out, but Adam was hiding and avoiding God because of sin.
Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me....
Isa. 59:1 says that God turns a deaf ear to us and will not hear our prayers if we are living in disobedience.
REASON MOST CHRISTIANS DON’T HAVE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS THEY ARE HIDING FROM GOD AND COVERING UP SIN.
In Hosea 6:7 God said his people were like Adam - they broke the covenant and refused His life.
C. THERE IS A PROCESS IN SPIRITUAL INTIMACY.
WE don’t become spiritual giants overnight. It’s not a magic formula. It is a life goal, a daily process, a spiritual discipline.
2 Cor. 5:20 Paul says that we are ambassadors for Christ.
If I’m going to be an ambassador, I have to know the person I am representing.
AS A Christian - I AM A REPRESENTATIVE OF GOD ON EARTH - I NEED TO REPRESENT HIM WELL - NOT EMBARRASS HIM.
In working with Warren Wiersbe, I am always conscious about what I write in 2 Prophet U – because I realize, what I do, reflects on him. He’s put his name on the page with me, I have to be careful that I don’t do anything to cause him problems.
Several years ago, I was enlisted by John Maxwell to be a coach for pastors and ministers. I asked in our training meeting, John what do you want from us most of all? He said, “Represent me well. Don’t do anything to embarrass me.”
I understood totally.
As a church member – you represent your local church. If you and I do something that brings a black eye to this church – we are poor ambassadors.
As a believer - you represent Christ. People judge God by what they see in you.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR GETTING TO KNOW GOD:
1. READ YOUR BIBLE.
The Word of God is the complete revelation of God in Christ.
Ps 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
Josh 1:8 " This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
2 Tim 3:16 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), 17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. Amplified
NOT ENOUGH TO READ IT – WE HAVE TO LOVE IT.
NOT ENOUGH TO LOVE IT – WE HAVE TO APPLY IT.
Psalm 40:8 ‘I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.’
2. OBEY WHAT GOD SAYS.
Our obedience should be immediate. Delayed obedience is disobedience.
Obedience is not optional. Deut 10:12- " Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?
Confession is necessary for intimacy. Ps 119:59- I considered my ways And turned my feet to Your testimonies. 60 I hastened and did not delay To keep Your commandments.
Honesty is necessary for intimacy. 1 John 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
In obedience, I prove my love. John 14:21-" He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
Millions of copies of the book, Quotations of Chairman Mao Tse-tung have been printed through the years. In the forward, the editors write,
“In studying the works of Chairman Mao, one should have specific problems in mind, study and apply his works in a creative way, combine study with application, first study what must be urgently applied so as to get quick results, and strive hard to apply what one is studying. In order really to master Mao Tse-tung’s thought, it is essential to study many of Chairman Mao’s basic concepts over and over again, and it is best to memorize important statements and study and apply them repeatedly....study Chairman Mao’s writings, follow his teachings, act according to his instructions and be his good fighters.’
IF I’M A Christian - CAN I DO LESS THAN A COMMUNIST?
I’m afraid, if we could know the truth:
✒ humanist are more committed to their cause than we are to our God.
✒ environmentalist know more about environmental laws than we do about the laws of God.
✒ communist and socialist are more committed to their cause than we are to the cause of Christ.
If you don’t believe it – we have nearly 3,000 members and have about 700 here tonight – you do the math!
UNTIL BELIEVERS BEGIN TO PASSIONATELY PURSUE GOD - WE’RE JUST PLAYING GAMES.
