Purpose Driven Life Lesson 11

Purpose Driven Life

Lesson 11

Becoming Best Friends with God

Romans 5:10 NLT

10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

Let us underline some stuff

• Friendship (reconciled - restored) - to reestablish proper friendly interpersonal relations after these have been disrupted or broken

• How has that relationship been restored?

This is all God’s doing

• It’s good to be reminded of this relationship involves

o God is your Creator and Maker, Lord and Master, Judge, Redeemer, Father, Savior

• The perfect example of this relationship

Genesis 3:8 GW

8 In the cool of the evening, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking around in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden.

o “There were no rituals, ceremonies, or religion—just a simple loving relationship between God and the people he created. Unhindered by guilt or fear, Adam and Eve delighted in God, and he delighted in them.”

Old Testament perspective

– A fear of God – They went through the priest – God dwelt in the temple

New Testament things changed

Matthew 27:51 NIV

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

• We now have direct access to God

Romans 5:11 NLT

11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Hebrews 4:15–16 NIV

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

We call this Grace

John 15:15 NIV

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 word “friend” in this is a deep friendship – (Best Friend)

• Everything God has done, is doing, and will do is for us to have a relationship with him.

• The book says it well

o We think of God as Master – slave, Creator – creation, or Father – child

What does it mean to be friends with God?

Through constant conversation.

a. The casual Christian

i. How do you have a relationship if it’s one a week or even worst once a month or worst yet sitting on the couch watching on your phone.

ii. Friendship with God is built by sharing all your life experiences with him.

iii. Even a quiet time is not complete

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT

17 Never stop praying.

“Spending time with God”

i. My mind quickly turns to a pray closet

ii. The bible teaches us that Jesus went alone to pray

iii. But being a friend with God is constant on going activity

iv. In Eden, worship was not an event to attend, but a perpetual attitude.

Breath prayers

i. I love this idea

ii. A prayer you can say in one breath

d. Christian growth is always a process

i. It takes practice

ii. It’s not something you feel but something you are

Through continual meditation.

a. Thinking about his word.

Psalm 1:2 NLT

2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

ii. How can we ever be friends with God and not know who he is?

iii. We know many things about our friends

1. What they like don’t like etc

2. We like to put Jesus into our mold

3. The bible teaches us to study to show ourselves approved

He called meditation – Focus thinking

i. When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry.

ii. When you think about God’s Word over and over in your mind, that’s meditation.

iii. If you know how to worry then…

Job 23:12 NIV

12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Psalm 119:97 NIV

97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Psalm 77:12 NLT

12 They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

Develop the practice of renewing your mind.

i. Name some ways.

ii. Study notes

iii. Memorize

iv. Post scripture