DH - Intimacy With God

THEME: INTIMACY WITH GOD. ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [8] Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Title: HE'S GOT IT WORKED OUT (FOR ME) ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:6‭-‬10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [6] When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. [7] Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. [8] Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [9] But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” [10] He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” [21] The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. [22] And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” #Ever Present When I read vs 8 of Genesis chapter 3, I just imagine that God would usually go for a walk in the garden, I don't know at what other times of the day but in this instance it was in the cool of the day, and how cool is that, that God would just go for a walk to catch up with Adam and Eve. You see He's not a God who just creates and forgoes or is detached, but He's a God who is ever present, ever around, who builds relationship and maintains them. He's right in the mix of things and we can see That's been His trait or character from way back, from in the beginning. We see in this scripture that after the fall of man: -they hid from God(just like most of us, human behavior, if we've done something wrong we tend to hide away from our mothers and fathers or authority, I remember when I was young, you kind of want to stay in the background when your parents come back home from work and you've done something you ought not to, just so like Adam and Eve). So they hid from God, but God sought them out. -Then follows the blame game -Then God curses the serpent but notice how He doesn't curse the man, instead He curses the ground -Now see that after they realized that they were naked they sewed fig leaves together and made covering for themselves ,but even in that moment, afterwards God elevates them, because He then makes garments of skin for Adam and Eve and clothes them. -then He protects them from further harm by banishing them from the garden of Eden, lest, they reach out their hands and take also from the tree of life and eat ,and live forever. Because God doesn't want them to live forever in a fallen state. An intimate God created me in his image sharing his identity with me , he knows me he knows my real ID because He gave it to me , He's so intimate that he knows the number of my hairs on my head. Like Jeremiah he knew us before we were conceived and set us apart before birth and purposed our lives, all we have to do is align our interests and lives with his and he'll lead us on a path to fulfillment and our purposed destiny. This is a great privilege that God can be so intimate. He cares for you and about you to the very last detail. "If you know how to give good gifts to your children how much more your father in heaven?" We should then choose his cross to carry and lay down our burdens on him because his yoke is easy and his burden is light, so when we feel burdened, challenges, stagnation, hurdles we should rise up and say; -in the day of trouble "hang on a minute, trouble, God's worked it out for me, it may not look like it at the moment but he's worked it out for me, -in the hour when you feel like life keeps going in circles, you say hold on, the lord is my waymaker and He's paved out a way for me, -in moments when it appears like it's the same thing over and over and over again, we get our knees and bow before the throne of grace and say Abba father refresh my soul and hit that reset button. He is an ever present God in all situations that we experience, at times we probe and try to search for answers in wrong places and we ask where is God in this situation, where is His love, does He care, does He not see me or hear my cry. But I want to encourage you that He knows you, that He loves you too much and some more, that he sees you and he hears you. Remember the Lord pertaining to His friend Lazarus? ‭‭John‬ ‭11:32‭-‬44‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [32] When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” [33] When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. [34] “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. [35] Jesus wept. [36] Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” [37] But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” [38] Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. [39] “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” [40] Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” [41] So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” [43] When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” [44] The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” You will notice that this is Jesus friend, so this is a person and a family that He associated with physically, Imagine that the saviour of the world, the son of the living God is just hanging out with you, talking about ,I don't know;maybe heavenly things. That is how close these people were. And then at some point Lazarus falls sick, Jesus is informed. Sisters hoping for a solution a quick prayer over the phone or messenger in those times but it's not forthcoming. And after Jesus arrives there's even more suppositions, this is so like us. Now Jesus wept, because He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Here we see exactly how God's heart is towards us. Come on , He's ever intimately present. Jesus prays to the Father and says"Father I thank you that you heard me, I already knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me" And that should be us, to thank God that He has heard us, and to know beforehand that he always hears us, and to keep believing because God knows the benefit of all situations and He's got it worked out for us. #Trust 2 Peter 1:3-4 [3]His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4]Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Him calling us unto himself by his glory and goodness towards us is God being intimate and opening up his arms for a relationship with you and me. Now listen; there's 3 things happening here in verse 3 1. He has called us by His own glory and goodness. (He seeks us out through or out of His intimacy towards us). 2. His divine power(God's own power not any other common power but His own)has given us everything we need for a godly life (that is us living a life reflecting the character of God). 3. [living a life reflecting the character of God]Through our knowledge of Him(He doesn't only seek us out but also avails Himself to us by providing us with knowledge of Himself through Holy Spirit) To be intimate with God is to be holy. "blessed are they that are holy for they will see God" what could be more intimate than seeing God, as a blessing for our holiness. He is a God of relationships and thus created us to be in a relationship with Him, so intimately that He created us to be His stewards for His work; That is to say, ruling over or taking care of God's creation and!, and especially now for the salvation of His people- remember Jesus asking  Peter three times in John 21:15-16,John 21:15–17 . Quote : ‭‭John‬ ‭21:15‭-‬17‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [15] When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” [16] Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” [17] The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. That is for the salvation of His people. Quote:‭‭John‬ ‭10:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [16] I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. He has placed on us a great responsibility which is the great Commission to go and preach the gospel to all and up till the end of the world, only someone who knows us intimately can entrust us with such an important mission. God is trusting me and you with this mission even though He knows that we often don't meet His standard He still trusts us because He is our standard bearer, and His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life; this is how I know that my God loves me and He loves us so intimately that He still trusts us and is always faithful. Even though through the ages of human king His heart has been broken over and over and over again. Oh He is still a faithful God .Yes He is: -That emptiness that we feel in our lives, he's got it worked out, -That feeling of not measuring up , he's got it worked out -That Doubt in our minds, he's got it worked out -That fear to step into the unknown, he's got it worked out. For he is a mighty God, He fills us with passion for His kingdom's sake, he raises our confidence levels up,he brings clarity in our minds, He is our stronghold and steps up and goes before us. All we've got to do is open up and say Lord am open, I open up my heart to you,my mind, my body, my soul, to love you completely and intimately. No matter how much we aquire on this earth and no matter how much successful we are or think we are we still have this longing for more. That emptiness in the human life can only be filled by God, that is a natural inclination and invitation to be intimate with God. An intimate relationship needs and requires full trust, God has shown us His trust: -He has trusted us with His glory and goodness, -He has trusted us with His divine power, -He has trusted us with very great and precious promises, and now we must show him our full unreserved trust "that is called faith"! Hallelujah, God has got it worked out for us. God wants us to be intimate with Him. And when we are so intimate with him He enlightens us through the holy Spirit about things that are happening in our lives and those that ought to happen, he directs our paths in the journey towards His purposed destiny for us. #Excess for Access Romans 8:31-39 [31]What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32]He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? [33]Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. [34]Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. [35]Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? [36]As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long;     we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” [37]No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38]For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39]neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [NARRATION]{A couple of weeks ago my family and I went down south and in the process of driving we were met with a minor incident. We were stopped on the traffic lights and while waiting in the traffic for the lights to change all of a sudden we heard a bang from behind the car. Yeah someone had hit our car , nothing very serious everyone was fine. So we pulled over, got out and exchanged details for insurance purposes. When I started driving the car, I was there thinking to myself and felt sorry for the other person because they likely would have to pay insurance excess. I've experienced that before and it's not the best feeling.} How many here would wish to claim insurance without excess? You possibly could, but it means you pay a higher premium.But the thing with wishes is they usually don't happen. Now let me rephrase that question. How many here would want to to rid of the excess of life's baggages ?. Because this is not a wish, but if you truly want, that is exactly what you receive in and through the name of Jesus Christ the son of the living God. What is it that is holding us back from experiencing a full intimate relationship with God?, because I want you to know and indeed I want to remind you that nothing is too big for God and nothing can separate us from his love. Romans 8:38 [38]For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, Christ is the way the truth and the life, and he is saying come: -bring your excess and I'll give you access. -bring your failures and I'll give you success. -bring your flaws and come as you are and I'll rectify them. -bring your shortcomings and I'll complete you. -and bring your sin and follow me, and I'll give you a crown of life. This! This is our intimate God! And that is how God has got it worked for us, by allowing us access to his eternal kingdom through his son Jesus Christ the saviour of the world and this has been the story throughout the ages; of an intimate father devising a way to restore his fallen creation back to himself. The way has been created, access has been provided, God has got it worked out for me and  for you, but in the end the onus is on us to accept the access; to accept the way , the truth and the life, who is Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour, and then this beautiful intimacy extended from creator to creation,from father to child will be completed. Now listen!, God knows all we struggle for with temptation because he's not a God who watches from the sidelines but is right in the midst of it all, He is involved in the situation, He is the solution to our struggles so much so that he came in flesh to go through our issues. Yes He understands: -He was tempted, just like we are -He felt hungry, just like we do -He felt the weight of His mission just like we feel weary -He felt pain, He wept and He bled all for our sake. (Next time someone asks you what kind of God dies?, tell them a kind of God who loves intimately and completely and He only lays down His life out of His own volition(His own accord).[John 15:13, 10:18] He's the God who puts his word into action and doesn't stand watching from a distance when we face challenges and right now his hand is stretched out and he is saying: I have got it worked out for you; come walk with me through this issue, for I know your struggles and your limits and I will lift you up above it all. That is the God we serve, the God who is so intimate he comes down in human form to get involved in our lives and he's still doing that today with arms wide open ready to receive us when we turn to him and ask. For this is the hope that we have, that we can say Abba father, God intimately loves us and His line is always open - through our Lord Jesus we can always reach out to Him.

Romans 8:15 NKJV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Amen and God bless you.