Series: You asked for it – How to Draw near to God?
Scripture texts:
James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you...”
Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Thesis: We cannot settle for a dry shallow view of Christianity in our life and just know of God we must be willing to go deeper into a relationship with God to actually know God intimately. This is the essence of the type of Christianity Jesus emphasized in His teachings and this is what the Bible promotes as genuine Christianity and the sign of a disciple of the Lord.
Introduction:
The great invitation from God - the one who sits on the throne in Heaven - the one who created the universe - is not just to worship Him from afar with words and rituals! But instead to enter a relationship that is so meaningful and intimate that we come to know God’s heart and He in turn responds to touch our spirit, heart and soul.
The question which was asked, “Intimacy ---- What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like?”
In January Tom F. asked me to speak at his intimacy conference in July and I must admit I felt a little intimidated from this ask. Why? Because Tom flows so strongly in this vein of the spirit. I prayed about it and I heard Gods voice say, “Do this for me, for my people and for their soul and for your own soul.”
So, I have for many months – really since about the beginning of January 2018, been pressing deeper into “intimacy with God!” Please note, I did do this before, but I had to be honest with myself I could do better. I decided to go to this new more reflective spiritual level in my own personal devotional life with the Lord. I started scheduling more prayer time with God, mostly doing a lot more prayer walks, reading more books on prayer and intimacy with God, doing more devotionals, having more reflective prayer times and even being more intentional about intimacy moments with God. I started listening to more intimate worship music too.
Since being asked to speak on this subject I have lost 45+ pounds, I have cried more, I have soul searched more, I have repented more! I have decided to stop doing ministry as my job and just draw closer to God with my spirit, soul and body. I have reflected more about my life, my own desires, my internal focus, my use of time and my family.
I set out on this mission of deeper intimacy with God to learn more about this life changing subject of connection with God.
If you recall our motto here is: Connect with God and Connect with people.
I was praying one day and felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to ask the question to my family, my staff, and on Facebook – it was this question, “How do you experience intimacy with God?”
So, I listened, read and listened to others share about this special time with God.
Asking this question has been very enlightening to say the least! The Holy Spirit spoke to me through each person’s heart felt answer to me.
Here are some of their responses:
It’s when I meet with Jesus at Starbucks for coffee and devotions – a 21 year old millennial told me!
Having dinner with God just me and Him creates intimacy with me and God.
Pastor Beth said, “Intimacy with God comes to me in worship and in hearing Gods voice” – she said, “it’s a dialogue with me and God – I have discovered that if I am weak in intimacy then it impacts my attitude with others.”
Pastor Brennan responded to my question about intimacy saying “That it is strong when I don’t compartmentalize God in my day. When God is a part of my whole day there is an intimate connection made with Him.”
Pastor Donald – said “Intimacy with God for me is setting time with the Lord and lingering in His presence.”
Pastor Ed said, “For me it’s through prayer times and it is what releases the power and presence of Him that I need to do ministry.”
Some Other’s responses:
Intimacy moments happen when He opens my spiritual eyes and senses to what is going on around me and I experience His presence and insight in that moment.
Intimacy comes from time spent with God which then reveals Gods desires and unveils His heart to me and that creates intimacy with me and Him.
Intimacy comes from having my regular routine with God. Just like when I smell coffee in the morning or smell the scent of a certain candle it triggers an internal connection or feeling.
• This I can relate to the smell of Dial soap reminds me of Grandma and Pap Kolling.
Intimacy tells me I must give up my precious time, so I meet with Him and when I do I feel closer to Him.
Intimacy happens when I feel close to God in my car listening to worship music especially Bethel Worship Music and praying!
Intimacy happens when I feel overwhelmed by ministry and the Holy Spirit shows up to encourage me – said another worship pastor!
Thoughts from my family:
Driving to work and listening to worship music and talking with God that is intimacy for me.
Intimacy comes for me when I am working out listening to worship music and getting in His presence.
Intimacy comes to me when I am in Worship and when I am running.
I feel the presence of God through worship music and in His presence I fall so much more in love with Him.
Intimacy for me comes from listening and talking to Him.
Studying connects me intimately with God.
Getting into nature especially seeing mountains or oceans brings me closer to God.
Staying in His Word and having conversations with Him and knowing He loves me even when I mess up unleashes the experience of intimacy with God.
Dedicated time in prayer and worship connect me with Him and in those times keeping the conversation going over and over creates intimacy for me.
So here are some of my thoughts on “What is Intimacy with God?” And looking at my own spiritual journey to connect for intimately with Him.
Is it praying for a woman in the hospital who you have been told is not going to make it as a young fresh pastor just out of Bible College in a small town of under 300 people – so you pray and miraculously she pulls through and the doctors shake their heads and you shake your head. They call it a miracle!
Is it praying for your granddaughter who keeps passing out at 2 years old and everyone is baffled as to why, but God shows your daughter what it is and fights with the doctor to monitor her heart – then one Sunday at Grandpa’s house as we are all getting ready for church and working with a two year old on a heart monitor – mom gets a call from Children’s Hospital saying don’t speed or do anything dangerous but bring her immediately to the hospital – is that intimacy with God – we soon discover her heart has been stopping and this is why she passes out – we discovered it did it at least 17 different times but miraculously restarted on its own 17 different times – doctors are amazed- they call her a miracle - weeks later this two year old gets a pace maker for life. You look at her and thank the Lord she is still alive! This feeling of God’s love rushes over you! Intimacy for me happens in that moment.
Is it praying with your grandson who cannot go to the bathroom and suffers for months in pain in children’s hospital – but ends up getting a tube inserted into his colon which comes out his belly where you have to hitch an IV to him every evening to flush out his colon – then having to answer the whys of this little child and the pain he suffered. You just keep praying for years then he turns 8 and goes in for a check up – always hearing from the specialist he most likely will deal with this his whole life and have to learn to flush himself each night – but the doctor comes out with the X-ray of his colon and somehow over this time period of time - it healed itself and realigned itself perfectly – a year later after a special diet and some oral medication the doctor removes the tube out of his body and seals up the 6 year hole – and you look into the face of that 9 year old smiling from ear to ear! And you see a glimmer of happiness in his eyes! And that feeling of intimacy with God overwhelms you!
Is it talking with your missionary daughter who has given her life to serving God on the mission field and goes to places like Sudan, the DMZ zone between North and South Korea to pray or to closed Muslim countries who arrest Christians or even smuggling Bibles into closed countries. Or the day she calls to say one of her good friends was gunned down by Alkida – he leaves a wife three kids and an orphanage without a leader. Is it when she calls again to say a couple missionary friends of hers had been kidnapped by Alkida and 6 months later the wife is released but the husband never heard from again. And this presence of God flows over your soul and heart. You somehow reach out to God and intimacy with peace from Him floods over your troubled worried soul.
Is it when one of your friends is killed by villagers as he came to help show them how to protect themselves from Ebola in Guinea West Africa? You ask why? And God’s presence and spirit comforts you! You experience a intimate moment of God’s presence falling all over you.
Is it preaching a sermon that causes the entire church to respond to the altar? You stand back look at what He is doing and it becomes a precious intimate moment with the life changing power of God’s presence.
Is it an altar moment when you are kneeling before God overwhelmed and you feel His presence?
Is it spending a week at International House of Prayer praying, worshipping – then hearing God tell you what to preach on for the next year and then seeing His presence sweep through the prayer room in an amazing way?
Is it praying in a gym while on a tread mill and then all of a sudden you get sermon illustrations downloaded to your mind for your sermon on Sunday. Your blown away by god and feel an intimate connection with Him right then and there.
Is it walking and praying for through your neighborhood?
Is it a neighbor who you help cut a tree down say, “I prayed God would send someone to help me and you showed up?” You feel that rush of His presence come over you.
Is it driving all night to your grandparents house and somewhere on the Ohio turnpike you get a vision of your family making it to Heaven – all because – you left work because the Lord tells you to “Go” your grandfather is dying – you show up at the break of dawn and go to the door and your grandmother answers – she looks at you and starts crying, “I prayed God would send someone to help me through this tough time and to come pray for your grandfather.” You pray he gets saved and then a few days later passes away. In the same weekend you baptize you cousins in a sink in the kitchen – you share the reality of God’s love and power. You share a story of a miracle which happened years earlier in Fosston Mn. And was recorded by “Unsolved Mysteries” your other grandma turns on the TV and Unsolved Mysteries comes on and it’s the story you just shared right there in from of them on Tv. You feel that sensation rush through your heart and soul of God’s “AHA” moment they look at you like how did you know – how could this happen – it’s a deep intimate moment with the Lord for you as well as them.
Is it found in a dimly lit room with soulful worship music playing?
Is it found in a reflective liturgical service or vibrant worship service?
Is it found running from revival to the next revival meeting?
Is it found at a prayer meeting for revival and you look around and you are the oldest person in the room – and you pray silently to God, “Lord please don’t let me miss the next great revival and a few moments later a 13 year old little girl comes up to you and says, “Sir can I share a word with you from the Lord? – You say “yes” and she say’s – “God said you will not miss the next great revival!” Tears well up in your eyes! It’s another intimate moment with the Lord.
Is it found sitting in a deer stand looking at the beauty of nature?
Is it found on a mountaintop as you look out at the landscape?
Is it found by losing weight and disciplining your eating life?
Is it found when you give up coffee for a month?
All these venues or moments have been places where I know I have discovered an intimate moment with God – “Yes” with Jesus, an experience with the Holy Spirit – do you know or understand what I am talking about?
How many of you have been there in these types of moments? Show of hands.
Illustration: Share Jim and Dee’s Story! When they found God and had a life changing moment of intimacy with Him.
Intimacy comes I think most often in the midst of pain, suffering and crisis!
It’s where your faith is shaken, your life is in upheaval and yet He empowers your spirit, heart and soul in that crisis and a peace rolls in like a gentle warm wave! I have experienced this intimate God AHA moment.
It’s where you get a fresh word of wisdom from God or a fresh revelation from Jesus which inspires you and lifts your troubled soul. Your tired – stressed – feeling like a failure and God shows up to speak to you – through another person – or through a Scripture – you know he is there and has heard and seen your soul hurt.
It’s a time when the tears flow in your office because people believe lies rather than the truth and your soul aches in pain. But it’s a intimate time because you see Him – feel Him - hear Him – it’s miraculous – it’s life changing – it’s encouraging – it’s precious – it’s a “wow” or “Aha” moment.
T.S. – In my journey to draw closer to God I learned what to do and even what not to do as I searched for intimacy.
1. In my journey with the Lord I have learned there are misconceptions of what intimacy with God is.
a. I have read more books on intimacy since this big ask to God to go deeper with Him. I have been reading John Bevere’s book “Drawing Near” and in it I came across a statement that convicted me – even pierced deep into my soul. Would you like to hear his statement?
i. John Bevere stated, “I’ve discovered two major groups within the church…The first are those who seek God for what He can do; while the second seek Him for who He is” (page 39).
1. I paused as I read this – a “Aha” moment washed over my soul and spirit - then I laid the book down – I reflected and searched my memory and experiences - I picked the book back up and read it again, then again and then something inside of me – like a ringing of a bell went off – then hearing these words “Read it again and again.” Then that gentle intimate voice said, “Mike do you see it? – Mike do you feel my heartbeat in this matter of intimacy? – Mike do you get what John is revealing in these words through my Holy Spirit? Mike do you see the difference between the two types of Christians?
a. Then “AHA” lite up in my mind!
i. At first glance this does not seem like a problem for a Christian to be a part of either group or even both groups – right!
ii. But there is a problem when we only approach God for what He can do for us and we never approach Him for Who He is!
1. One group just wants something from God!
a. The know off God but don’t know God!
2. The other group wants to be intimate and experience God.
a. They love Him for what he has done!
b. They desire to spend time with Him because they are best friends.
c. They spend time with Him – because they want to honor Him and worship Him.
iii. Sadly, some approach God for what we can get out of Him but never approach Him to spend quality time with Him. We use Him for His resources or His ability to do a miracle but then when trouble fades we fade in our relationship with Him. We put Him to the side of our lives – as if He is a Jeannie in bottle.
1. I only spend time with when I need something fixed.
2. I must admit to you I felt convicted – I apologized to the Lord for this wrongful mindset of my heart with Him. I repented of insensitivity to His heart and love for me.
ii. I pray you are getting a picture of my journey of deeper intimacy with God there is so much more to this relationship with God then just one salvation prayer!
1. Do you see what the Lord has been teaching me about intimacy?
2. Are you hungry like me for a more intimate connection to God? Show of hands?
a. Intimacy and God – a connection of your soul to God is crucial – it’s a connecting point that comes from Heaven – from His Spirit – from His heart and meets you right where you are and penetrates past the facades, the misconceptions of Him and He touches you within your soul and your inner being.
b. It’s that AHA moment of you and Him connecting!
b. Let’s also be aware of some misconceptions of Intimacy with God that have occurred in every time frame of history:
i. Some thought intimacy with God came by isolating yourself away from the World – never having contact with it – protecting yourself 100% from contact with it.
1. Case in point the Essenes!
a. The Essenes were a sect of Judaism that lived in the desert regions of Israel. They despised riches, but believed that God would bestow upon everything they needed.
ii. The Pharisee’s felt intimacy with God came from studying God’s Word, debating it and demanding strict adherence to rules and regulations. The more study you did the more intimate you would be with God. But when God showed up in the flesh in Jesus they did not know God was right in front of them!
1. See John 1
iii. Martin Luther when he was a monk said he at one point thought whipping himself and starving himself brought intimacy with God how wrong he was he said later in life!
iv. Others felt if they took vows of poverty they would experience intimacy with God.
v. Popes thought intimacy with God came by creating checklist for Christianity – a to do list – a certain prayer – a certain pattern within a service - then Intimacy appears.
1. They formed a regimented mass that they said created intimacy with God!
vi. Priests don’t marry why so they have a better position to experience spiritual intimacy with God.
vii. Pastors teach intimacy comes from reading the Bible and praying 30 minutes each day. This will create intimacy!
viii. Others promote that praying in tongues is the only way to bring intimacy with God.
ix. Some promote locking yourself away in a prayer closet is the only way to experience intimacy with God but Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, forerunners of the Methodist Church, reportedly put her apron over her head and made that her prayer closet, since she could find no place to get away from her 18 children!
1. John said she was the greatest prayer warrior he had ever met and a intimate relationship with God.
x. Some say intimacy with God comes from chasing revivals!
xi. Naming and claiming prosperity some say will bring intimacy with God.
xii. The list could go on and on but you get me point!
c. I have realized God will connect with us all in many different ways and in many different moments!
i. I have noticed something in my search and it’s important to note because there is a misconception about hardship – suffering – and struggles in life – I have discovered that intimacy with God comes most often in the troubled times of my life.
1. Read the Psalms and the messages of David on the run from Saul.
2. Read the life of Joseph.
3. Read of Moses.
a. So, why are we so surprised when this happens – God promised us in Scripture that He wants to connect with us intimately especially in the hard times!
b. So, what is holding us back? Can I say it’s not God!
2. The benefits of Intimacy with God!
a. Intimacy will release the amazing power with in us. Intimacy with God will remind us who we are in Jesus.
i. Ephesians 1:17-23
b. Intimacy draws our attention to our God given potential to be a part of one of His miracles.
c. Intimacy helps us see Jesus for who He was, is and will be.
i. Revelation 1
d. Intimacy with God is getting Wisdom and Revelation together so we know Him better.
e. Intimacy with God is it reflected in Revelation when we get a picture of the throne of God and Him listening to the bowl of incense which are the prayers of the saints.
f. Intimacy is having the power to give your life for Jesus like Polycarp or Dimitri or 1,000 of other martyrs and staying faithful all the way to the end.
g. Intimacy brings God’s presence and my friend says God’s power too – it's true god’s power comes with intimacy with Him.
h. Intimacy opens our spiritual eyes – it enables us to see God’s plan over our plans – it reveals that there is more to this life than what you hear in the media or see with your natural eyes.
i. Intimacy can only be achieved through Jesus because if I stood in God’s presence without Jesus – I would die!
i. Quote from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-have-intimacy-with-god: Our experience of God’s nearness or distance is not a description of his actual proximity to us, but of our experience of intimacy with him. Scripture shows us that God is intimate with those who trust him. The more we trust God, the more intimately we come to know him. A felt distance from God is often due to a disruption in trust, such as a sin or disappointment. This reality is vitally important to understand. As Christians, we want to experience intimacy with God. With the psalmist we say, “for me it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:28). And we want to heed James’s exhortation and realize its promise: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). But we can seek that nearness in ways that don’t produce it.
j. Ephesians 1:15-23(NIV): 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
k. Wow God wants to connect with us personally and intimately! If we choose to do this we get these many benefits!
i. Share the Francis Chan Story of intimacy – is it walking away from a mega church you started to get closer to God.
Conclusion:
What do we need to know from this message?
Answer: Creating Intimacy times with God requires us to draw near to God not try telling him to fit in our too busy schedule or even follow us around all day and when we get a moment we will give him some attention.
Why do we need to know this?
Answer: We are either developing a relationship with God that is based on what He can do for us or we are creating a relationship with God based on who He is to our hearts.
What do they need to do?
Answer: We need to draw near to God each day in different ways and especially in times of trial and tribulation.
Why do they need to do this?
Answer: When we do this we will experience deeper intimacy with God, we will enjoy His presence more – hear His voice clearer and we will make sure nothing robs us of this special time with the Lord.
Altar time before Communion:
Communion invitation after this video: Play - Draw Near to God – Jeremy Riddle from the Loft Sessions – listen o the words and focus you heart and mind on the Lord – talk to Him – draw near to Him – do a heart search.
James 4:8 (NIV) “Come near to God and he will come near to you....”
