INTIMACY WITH GOD

A desire of mankind to be back to the place where they belong.

John 15:12-17

12: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
13: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14: You are my friends if you do what I command.
15: I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

The quest?

* How can a simple mortal enjoy friendship with God? What possible common ground could bring us together in intimacy and friendship?
* Intimacy with God is something all should desire. The thought of a human becoming friends with God boggles the mind. As small, weak creatures, what could we possibly have in common with the Almighty Creator of the universe?
* God desires that we know Him intimately.

 I. The Great Men of the Past Enjoyed Intimacy with God

Enoch & Noah

* In Gen 5:18-24 the Bible records one of those genealogies that are so tempting to skip or read through quickly.
* Gen 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: (KJV)
* Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (KJV)

Walk with God

* It is a common phrase in Eastern countries, indicating constant, familiar and confidential communion.
* It portrays intimacy and implies a situation of nearness to God.
* When the Bible says that Enoch and Noah "walked with God," it means they both "realized God's presence and enjoyed His communion in extraordinary measure."
* They cultivated a deepening intimacy with God, not an occasional stroll, but in a walk that covered three hundred years, and that in a godless environment.

In The New Testament

Paul's desire to know God intimately.
Phil 3:10: I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (NIV)
1. Intimacy goes beyond abstract knowledge of God or facts about him, but knowing him personally and intimately.
2. Paul was not referring to mere intellectual knowledge; he was talking about having a relationship with God on a personal level, enjoying friendship and communion, having a special intimacy with Him.

God Calls All Believers to Intimacy

 God calls His sons and daughters to enter into and enjoy a close relationship with Him.
Heb 10:19-22
19: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21: And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (KJV)

How is it possible to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him?

 It is possible only through Jesus. It is through Him that we know God.
   
John said that it is through Jesus that we are given an understanding that makes it possible for us to have knowledge of God.
   
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (KJV)

To Know

 The word "Know" in this verse means to go beyond intellectual apprehension, or information. "Know" denotes knowledge gained by personal experience, close association and fellowship.

A relationship is something that must be nurtured. The idea is that this relationship should grow, deepen and be dynamic. Our knowledge of God, which begins at conversion, must be cultivated.

God wants his children to grow and mature in their knowledge of and relationship with Him.

Conclusion

 1. It is true that God is not very far from any of us.

2. But how is intimacy developed? Does it come by accident? Is a deep relationship with God possible without any activity on your part? We need to be involved in specific spiritual activities on a daily basis if we want to walk close to God.