INTIMACY WITH GOD

Introduction

We have been talking about the fear of the Lord. We have learned that the fear of the Lord is not about being afraid of God, but the fear of being with God’s presence.

This series has revolutionized my life.

I would rather pay the price to hear God’s voice personally, regardless of how difficult the circumstances may be, than to have to settle for always hearing from Him secondhand. —JOY DAWSON

The Hebrew word for secret is sôḏ and is defined as “counsel.” The Greek dictionary also states, “Confidentiality is at the heart of this term.” So in essence, the psalmist isn’t talking about one secret but rather God’s secret counsel, or for our purposes, we will simply call it secrets (plural). The scripture could read, “God shares His secrets with those who fear Him.”

I. We have the opportunity to establish an intimate friendship with God.

Psalm 25:14 (NKJV)

14The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.

Who do you share your secrets with?

Random people or close personal friends?

Psalm 25:14 (ESV)

14The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

A. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear .

Remember that the fear of the Lord is not to be afraid of God, but to be afraid of not being in His presence.

B. God does not have the same relationship with every person in the church.

C. There are different levels of intimacy, and that intimacy is connected to holy fear.

Your level of intimacy depends on you and not on God.

How you walk in reverence and fear of the Lord will determine the level of depth and access to intimacy with God.

II. Abraham was called a friend of God in the Old Testament .

Genesis 18:28 (NASB95)

28“Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

There were two men in the bible that were called the friends of God. Exemplified what it meant to have a relationship or friendship with the Lord.

A. Abraham proved His fear of God when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac.

Abraham (explain how Abraham waited on God and how God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. )

Genesis 22:3 (NASB95)

3So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Genesis 22:12 (NASB95)

12He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

How did the Angel know that Abraham feared God?

B. Abraham obeyed immediately, even though it didn’t make sense, and to completion.

Genesis 22:14 (NASB95)

14Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

C. God revealed a facet of His personality to Abraham that no one had known before.

Those who fear God, God will provide.”

III. Abraham and Lot were both righteous but had different relationships with God.

Luke 17:27–28 (NASB95)

27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;

Life is good and he doesn’t mind our lifestyle. They are 24 hours away from being obliterated and they are completely clueless. What is scary is this:

2 Peter 2:7 (NLT)

7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him.

A. Both men were “saved.” They both were described as “righteous.”

Two saved men. One man knows what God is going to do and how he’s going to do it. He even helps God decide how He is going to do it. The other “saved man” is a clueless as the world.

B. God spoke with Abraham about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

C. God did not speak with Lot—he was only spared from destruction due to Abraham’s prayer.

D. The difference between the two men was their level of holy fear.

Abraham represents the believer that has a deep intimate relationship with God.

Lot represents the worldly carnal believer.

The picture of a carnal believer. Wife was more in love with the old life and turned back. The fruit

Luke 17:32 (NASB95)

32 “Remember Lot’s wife.

Genesis 13:9–10 (NLT)

9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.” 10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

Genesis 13:12 (NLT)

12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.

He went from living on the edge of the city to moving inside the city when the angels came.

The fear of the Lord is so important because it produces intimacy with God.

We understand His secrets therefore we become more successful in the way we live.

IV. Moses was also called a friend of God in the Old Testament.

A. Moses spoke to God face to face as a man speaks to his friend (see Exodus 33:11).

Exodus 33:11 (NASB95)

11Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Both represent two types of believers. Both are saved, but have different levels of intimacy with God.

1 Corinthians 10:3–4 (NASB95)

3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

Israel coming out of Egypt (a type of the world) - Israel is righteous and Moses is righteous.

B. Israel knew about God, but Moses knew Him personally (see Psalm 103:7).

Psalm 103:7 (NASB95)

7He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.

Moses knew God by His ways and Israel knew God by His acts.

Israel knew God by how He answered their prayers.

C. Moses often knew what God was going to do and helped God decide how to do it.

On two different occasions the bible tells us that Moses changed God’s mind.

Explain the difference between Israel and Moses.

Israel knew God by how he answered prayer. Moses knew God intimately (his thoughts, plans and secrets)

WHY? Because Moses feared God and Israel did not.

V. Our relationship with God is also based on our level of holy fear.

A. Jesus did not trust people in general. He knew the frailty of humanity (see John 2:23–24).

John 2:23–24 (NLT)

23Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.

24But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the creator of the Universe to share intimate secrets with you. Abraham and Moses knew what this was like.

Jesus didn’t trust them, because He knew what was in their hearts.

John 6:66 (NASB95)

66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Luke 22:28 (ESV)

28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials,

John 15:15 (NLT)

15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

B. Jesus said that His disciples were no longer servants but friends.

Why does God many at the level of a servant?

Galatians 4:1 (NASB95)

1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything,

Why is there a time period when we are treated as servants by God?

C. God keeps many of us at the relationship level of servants to protect us.

He doesn’t want what happened to Ananias and Sapphira to happen to us.

A few years ago we had a couple that served at the church. We loved them immensely. We began to spend time with them. Treated them as best friends. The problem was that when it came time to correct them they didn’t respond the way we thought they would. As a result they left the church. We learned that we could not be leaders and be friends. Because there are some who cannot understand the depth of intimacy.

Whatever you do not treat as Holy you will treat as common.

John 15:15 (ESV)

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

John 15:14 (ESV)

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

D. The fear of God opens up the door to friendship and intimacy with God.

CONCLUSION

God desires for everyone in the church to be His intimate close friend.

You are the one who chooses the level of relationship you have with God.

Why we must pursue the HOLY FEAR OF GOD because the benefit is an intimate relationship with Jesus.