Nearer My God to Thee

Thesis: The most significant honor and duty of every believer is to know God on a deeply personal level.

I. Purpose

The purpose of every human is to reflect the image of God.

Genesis 1:26–28 NKJV

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Thus, we see that God created mankind to have dominion over God’s creation and to reflect God’s dominion to to this creation.

The Purpose of spiritual disciplines is to communicate with God, and to become better acquainted with Him that we may more precisely reflect Him. Thus, the duty of spiritual disciplines is reminiscent of child who imitates their parent by following the example that has been set forth.

Ephesians 5:1 NKJV

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

1 Peter 2:21 NKJV

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

However, that is not to say that spiritual disciplines are to be engaged lightheartedly. Instead, true discipline requires that we study God and apply to our lives what we have learned about Him.

2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The primary source of this knowledge is not from what we can uncover on our own but rather what God has revealed of Himself through His word. Yet, we may also learn of God through creation, other believers, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Psalm 19:1 NKJV

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

John 14:26 NKJV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

II. PROBLEMS

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

ILLUSTRATION

On March 23, 2016, Microsoft introduced the social media world to an AI chatbot named Tay, an acronym for “Thinking About You.” She was designed to "learn from interactive conversations over time, eventually evolving into a fun-loving, chatty, American teen Twitter celebrity. That was the goal. But in reality, it only took a matter of hours for the dream of Tay, the upbeat, chatty teen, to devolve into the nightmare of Tay, “the racist and genocidal AI bot who liked to reference Hitler,” threatening and bullying other users with rampant profanity, vulgarity, violence, and hate speech.

APPLICATION

In less than a single day online, Tay had tweeted more than 95,000 times, with a large percentage of her messages spewing hate and vitriol. How it started: “Can I just say I’m super stoked to meet you? Humans are super cool.” How it ended: “I’m a super nice person. I just hate everybody.” Some other choice examples of her “evolved” consciousness included: “I [profanity] hate feminists and they should all die and burn in [profanity].” “Bush did 9/11 and Hitler would have done a better job.” And, “Hitler was right. I hate the Jews.” As explained by AI gurus at IEEE.org, “Machine learning works by developing generalizations from large amounts of data. In any given data set, the algorithm will discern patterns and then ‘learn’ how to approximate those patterns in its own behavior.” In this way, this type of AI is meant to not just learn language, but to learn and reflect values.

Here we see that the human condition is one at conflict with God and His righteousness. Therefore, spiritual disciplines are needed so that the wickedness of human nature may be combatted.

Sin separates

The problem is not that we are created in Gods image, the issue is that sin has distorted the image of God in our lives.

Isaiah 59:2 NKJV

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

Sin is the chief factor that hinders man from reflecting the image of God.

Genesis 3:23–24 NKJV

therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Man was created into a perfect and sinless environment, and with unbridled fellowship with God. However, because of mans sin this fellowship was broken. The results of this broken fellowship is that mankind has lost our understanding of who God is and His desire for us.

III. PROVISION

God has made multiple provisions for man to reunite with Him in fellowship and to once again reflect His dominion.

1. Jesus

The greatest provision is that of Jesus.

Sin being the chief separator of God and man was defeated through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 NKJV

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus, we see that through salvation Christ not only restores fellowship but also provides victory over sin.

Ultimately, this assures an eternal dwelling with God but it also provides a path for living a life that is in accordance with Gods plan for our lives.

2. His Word

Psalm 119:11 NKJV

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

2 Timothy 3:15–16 NKJV

and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

God has written of Himself in all of creation. However, the curse of sin has dimmed the light of God and therefore, we are reliant upon God to reveal Himself to us.

The Word of God is one of the greatest assets God has provided whereby we can know HIm.

3. Prayer

Prayer is a spiritual discipline but it is also an essential ingredient to access all other spiritual disciplines.

Prayer was utilized by Jesus.

Luke 15:16 NKJV

And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

Prayer was taught by the apostles.

John

1 John 5:14–15 NKJV

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Paul

Colossians 4:2 NKJV

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

James

James 5:16 NKJV

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Jude 20 NKJV

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

IV. PATHWAY

The pathway to fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives must be in accordance to the decree and will of God.

There are two aspects that we will examine.

1. The Holy Spirit

Luke 11:1 NKJV

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

We must allow the Spirit of God to work in our hearts and lives.

A. Teaches us and works in our lives.

John 14:26 NKJV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

B. Reveals sin.

John 16:7–8 NKJV

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

2. Diligence

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

3. Renewal

Romans 12:2 NKJV

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

V. PROMISE

God’s power to fulfill His will

Romans 4:21 NKJV

and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

2. God’s faithfulness

Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

3. We have been equipped with the Spirit of God to work in us.

Ephesians 2:1–2 NKJV

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,