NJ - Encountering Gods Presence

Encounter / Intimacy

Good morning and welcome to Oasis Church, it is great to have you join with us today. If you are visiting with us, we welcome you, and look forward to chatting with you after the service around morning tea.

Parents / Kids Cinema 1

Kids coloring packs return after the service

Annual report afternoon for Oasis Partners 4-5pm (Oasis is your home church)

Christmas Day service 8-9am 2 Glenmore Rd

LETS PRAY

Prayer: Father we thank You for Your grace and love toward us. We pray that we would be filled with Your strength and power that we can walk in all that You have called us to. We ask Your Holy Spirit to bring revelation of Your word that we can apply it to our lives. Amen

INTRODUCTION:

Over the past couple of months we have been learning about intimacy with God, the importance of extracting ourselves away from the business of life, finding our secret place, getting to know who God is, who He is too, in and through us.

There are many occasions in the bible New and Old Testament of people encountering God, spending time in their secret place with Him.

Enoch is said to have walked with God - God took him (Genesis ch5)

God showed Himself to Moses (Exodus ch33)(The cleft of the rock)

Isaiah meets with God in a vision (Isaiah ch6) Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Day of Pentecost, those in the upper room encounter God the Holy Spirit (Acts ch2)

Point 1. Intimacy with God is our Responsibility

It is our responsibility to encounter God, to go to our quite place, to be intimate with Him. We determine this, no one else can do it for us, we must choose to be close with God.

Paths to Deeper Intimacy with God:

We know God by studying His word.

Intimacy starts with us getting to know who God is.

We need to commit to living for Him.

Equip the saints for the work of ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ.

The more time we spend encountering God, the more we will know Him, the more we know Him the more time we will want to spend with Him.

Knowing God, builds our trust and confidence in Him.

We need to have a hunger for Him

Our relationship with God grows, through our time with Him:

A Father/child relationship is developed.

He has adopted us as His own through Christ Jesus

The fruit of God's Spirit is cultivated.

The more time we spend in His presence, the more His spirit is cultivated in our lives.

Our daily life will become a reflection of God Himself.

Testimony - Giselle work mate asking her to pray for them

Jesus often spent time alone with the Father.

Mark 1:35–40 NKJV

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Point 2. We have access to God through Christ Jesus

We have full access to God through Jesus, this time of the year we celebrate His coming. We celebrate the moment in time where God took on human form, walked and lived a sinless life, died on a cross for us to restore our relationship with Him. Jesus defeated death and the grave, that we might live through Him. We not only live through Him, but can have a full life with access directly to the Father.

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 10:19 NKJV

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Ephesians 2:13–18 NKJV

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Point 3. The benefits of an intimate relationship with God

CONVICTION - GIVEN A WORD TO SPEAK

John the Baptist’s message was REPENT (Matthew ch3)

Jesus message was REPENT (Matthew ch4)

Peter’s message was REPENT (Acts ch2)

LOVE

For God so loved the world (John 3:16)

God is love (1 John 4:8,16)

God’s love was expressed through Christ death (While we were yet sinners Christ died for us Romans 5:8)

SALVATION

INDWELLING

Holy Spirit lives in us

REVELATION

Holy Spirit give us revelation (John 16:13)

John 16:13 NKJV

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

1 Corinthians 2:10 NKJV

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

PRAYER

Luke 18:1 NKJV

1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,

Matthew 21:22 NKJV

22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

POWER

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.

Romans 8:11 NKJV

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

PROVISION

HEALING

By the stripes that Jesus boar on His body

Isaiah 53:5 NKJV

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

DIRECTION

Man plans his ways but God directs his path

Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

CONCLUSION

(Point 1. Intimacy with God is our Responsibility) Intimacy / Encountering God is our responsibility, Jesus modeled the importance of this. Extracting Himself to spend time with His Father.

(Point 2. We have access to God through Christ Jesus) We have been adopted by God through Christ Jesus which gives us full access to God.

(Point 3. The benefits of an intimate relationship with God) Being adopted by God gives us full benefits of being His children:

CONVICTION,

LOVE,

SALVATION,

INDWELLING,

REVELATION,

PRAYER,

POWER,

PROVISION,

HEALING,

DIRECTION