Freedom 2024
Intimacy with God
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Discussion Point #1: What does Intimacy with God mean?
The definition: a relationship of knowing and being known by God, and is characterized by a strong desire to trust, obey, and love Him.
Psalm 73:28 28For me it is good to be near God.
Psalm 27:4 4One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
It is good for us to be near to God. Also: looking at Psalm 27:4 it’s talking about dwelling in the house of the Lord. When we dwell with someone that means live with someone. When families live together they know each other intimately.
Examples: when siblings live at home they can look at each other and know what the other is thinking, husbands and wives can know what the other is thinking even if they are across the room, or even a parent knowing a child has a fever in the middle of the night and going to check on them.
The definition of intimate is: private and personal.
That’s what intimacy with God is like that or should be like that. Where we come to him and have a conversation we talk and then we listen. It’s never a one way relationship.
Discussion Point #2: After saying the prayer of salvation; why do we need to continue pursuing God?
The prayer of salvation saves us but the relationship with God sanctifies us. It is not once saved always saved.
Romans 10:13 13Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 23May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Discussion Point #3: There is only 1 question and I don’t want anyone to answer out loud. I want everyone to truly look into their relationship with Jesus and ask themselves this: If God would come back right now; am I ready?
Ephesians 4:30 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin].
Ephesians 1:13-14 13In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. 14The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.
Philippians 3:20-21 20But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21who, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself, will [not only] transform [but completely refashion] our earthly bodies so that they will be like His glorious resurrected body.
It is in intimacy with God where our salvation is. After we ask Jesus to come into our hearts it’s in the relationship we are sanctified and made different. We are salt and light to a broken world. If we act as the world acts we can’t help those who are going to hell. We know Jesus is coming back, it is up to us to be ready and help those who don’t know Him to get to know Him.
Challenge for the Week: Have intimacy with Jesus this week. Ask God for a moment to witness to someone.