7.18.21 - How to have a deep realationship with God

July 18, 2021: How To Build A Close Relationship With God (Psalm 139) Good morning - great to see you folks here in person... and hello again to those of you joining us online. Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about a key season in my life & journey with God: I want to share a story with you from that time to begin today. ● Set the scene for you: It was the Fall of 1992, and I was an Iowa farm kid getting adjusted to my first semester in college. In my attempt to make friends in those early weeks, I met a number of students involved in Christian groups / activities on campus. Got that picture in your mind? ● Now, I had grown up in the church, and so faith was important to me. But I was also struck by how distinct my new friends' approach to faith was compared to mine. ● For me - I had a genuine belief in God, but my faith was largely centered on having the right facts about God, and how important it was to follow certain Christian rules. ● Contrast that with my new friends. When they prayed - it was like they were talking to a close friend. And when they worshipped God - it was from their hearts, not just vocalising abstract truths set to music. ● To be honest... I initially thought these new friends were a bit weird. ● But I wanted to get to know God in the personal way that they knew Him. And so I began learning from my friends how to develop a closer relationship with God. And that changed so much in me, even in those first few months of college. - Changed how I read the Bible and prayed... I wasn't just checking something off the religious "to-do" list. - Changed how I approached why and how I went to church: I showed up believing that I could really experience God. - Changed how I looked at myself. That was a season where I confronted some big areas of brokenness in my life... and that work of transformation was birthed out of me growing closer to God. - And here it is 30 years later... and I am still on this journey, learning how to grow closer to God. In large part, that's why we're here - why we exist as a church. We want to help you discover and grow in a real relationship with God. But how do you develop that kind of close relationship with God? That's what we want to talk about this morning. ● Going to look at an amazing passage in the Psalms. Psalm 139. Psalm 139:1-6 1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. How do we build a close relationship with God? Here's the first item I want to touch on from Psalm 139: Embrace that you are fully known by God And that begins with understanding... God's knowledge of you is personal There is a Hebrew word that is used a number of times in this psalm - 4 times in just these first few verses. The word is "yada." This Hebrew word has several definitions, but all of them communicate the idea of intimate knowledge. Occasionally, "yada" is used as a euphemism for sexual intimacy. But more broadly, it describes what it is like to encounter, to experience, to connect deeply with another person. When you think about relationships - isn't this what we all long for? Whether that's in a dating or marriage relationship, or with our very close friends. Not merely knowing things about someone or sharing the same interests, but to know that person's hopes and dreams, to know their fears and even their secrets. To know someone else deeply... and for them to know you in the same fashion. That's the idea behind this Hebrew word "yada." Ps 139 goes on to describe even more about God's personal knowledge of us. Tracking all the way back to God's role as our creator. Listen to this from v.13-16 13 You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. I love the descriptive language that David (the author of this Psalm) uses here. ● He writes: Lord you created my in-most being. You knit me together. I was made in the secret place. I was woven together. Now, those descriptions might challenge a few of your original ideas about God. Many people come to think about God as being somewhere "out there or "up there" as a distant, aloof deity. Or that God is this stoic, eternal score-keeper. ● But that's not what we see here. Psalm 139 describes the God of the universe watching over, orchestrating every bit of our formation as tiny babies in our mother's womb. His wonderful work of creating you and creating me is intensely personal. When we grasp that understanding, that picture of God - it can radically shift how we approach our lives. For example, if you were here two weeks ago, Steph B gave a great message about identity. When we ask important questions like... Who am I? Where am I going? What am I for? ...we often get off track by looking to other people and other things for our sense of identity. Friends, we were made to receive our ultimate sense of identity from our creator. The God that made you and knows you wants to help you understand what he has built into you. God's knowledge of you is so personal, and he wants to let you in on what He knows about you! Okay, we're just getting started here about God's knowledge. God's knowledge of you is also challenging. (repeat) Look back at verses 1-3 (SLIDE) V.1 - You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. ● That underlined word is a legal term, describing being cross-examined; being explored and probed. V. 2 - you perceive my thoughts from afar. ● That word literally means to observe with all one's senses and to thoroughly understand. David is saying: God you see right into me and right through me V. 3 - You discern my going out and my lying down... ● This same word is used to describe wheat being sifted. Later in V.3. David writes: you are familiar with all my ways. ● That means everything is open to God in our lives. There are no secrets that we have from him. Even those things we don't want to share, everything is laid bare. Let's pause here... As I unpack this pointed terminology - about being explored and sifted, seen right into and laid bare - how are you feeling? Anyone saying to themselves, "I think I might go get another cup of coffee now!" Why do we get a bit uncomfortable in these moments? Think about it... ● It's one thing to have the awesome things about us come to light. It's another thing to have our brokenness exposed. ● While we have the great desire to be known on a deep level - we also have the great fear that we will be rejected on that deep level. ● Also - the fear that our weaknesses will be used as weapons against us. Those fears aren't unfounded. The truth is, in this room, are countless stories in human relationships - whether it was in a friendship, with a family member, in dating, or even in a marriage - where having your weaknesses revealed was a cause for distance or even the basis for outright rejection. ● And unfortunately, we've all done the same thing to other people. Similarly, we can be afraid of our lives being laid bare before God. We get it in our minds - if we really open up to God, we'll be dismissed or condemned. ● Or, we can get off track in the other direction: where we make "A God" in our own image that never disagrees with us, or says anything we are doing is wrong: never challenges us. Sorry, but that's not the God of the Bible. Here's the picture of God that Psalm 139 paints. God is not shy about bringing to light our brokenness and yet he is gracious. V.5 and V.10 describe how God's hand on us is firm, and yet God's hand upholds us. ● That brings us to the next aspect of God's knowledge: God's knowledge of you is redemptive When God sees you at your lowest point, he moves towards you, not away from you. He doesn't leave you in your mess - he makes a way forward. ● This is at the heart of the gospel... this good news about Jesus. Listen to what the apostle Paul writes in Romans, chapter 5. "We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us. Romans 5:5-6 (repeat aloud) Again, this can be really hard for us to grasp, because it goes against so much of what we've experienced in life and relationships. And it is in such contrast to the distant, im-personal image of God that we often adopt. But this is the truth: when God saw the depth of our sin, he sent Jesus to be our rescuer. When the reality of our brokenness was exposed and we were unable to fix ourselves, Christ came at just the right time and died for us. ● And what Jesus did was not only so we could go to heaven someday. His death and his resurrection make real power available to us right now. ● God is not just our creator... He is our re-creator. As we turn to Him, God is committed to re-making us from the inside-out, so we look more and more like Jesus. ● And here's what I've found... when I can embrace that God knows me and loves me at my lowest, most broken places, it motivates me to reorient my life and actions towards him. I am less afraid of his challenge because I know that his end goal is to redeem and transform me. That is what it is like to be known and loved by God on the deepest level. Okay... let's look at some further insights from Psalm 139 about how to build a closer relationship with God. Here's a 2nd big item: Pursue God's Presence Psalm 139:7-12 says this: 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me & the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. It seems like there is a bit of back and forth in what David writes in this section of Psalm 139. David appears to be both a bit uncomfortable and comforted by God's all-encompassing presence. That feels really honest to me, and I think points us to a crucial choice: throughout our lives.... ● We can either turn from God's presence or we can run to God's presence Think for a moment about your experience of the pandemic. Maybe you picked up some habits, or slid into some sinful patterns in this season. In the midst of those struggles, it can be easy to withdraw. It's easy to let your daily time with God slip away or you can get lax about making it to church, or. Or you think "I want to be doing a little better & then I'll start back at small group, or I'll start reading my Bible again. You get the idea? But it is precisely in those moments when you and I need God's presence most. ● And so, here is the choice we need to make. We press through the fear; we press through the shame, and we turn towards God. ● We pursue God's presence and it helps us grow closer to Him. A little later in Psalm 139, we read this in verses 17-18. ● 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand - when I awake, I am still with you. ● As David continues to ponder the scope of God's knowledge and tries to fathom the extent of God's care... the comfort of God's presence sinks in a bit more. In Psalm 16, David picks up on a similar theme, with an even stronger sense of confidence attached. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Ps 16:8,9,11 Here are 2 questions I want to put before you: 1) How would your life be different if you could grasp the reality of God's presence always being with you? Like David describes here... a) Approach that difficult situation at work differently b) Challenge you're facing in parenting or with an aging parent c) Dealing with loneliness and isolation; or a an issue with your health d) Searching for direction in life e) Relationship: respond one way if you were aware of God being with you, vs. responding in a different (and not beneficial) way. f) One of the things I think of is the difference I've seen as I've faced some lingering anxiety from the experience of this season. With several elements of life that still feel uncertain - God's presence is one of the big things that helps anchor me. 2) What are you currently doing to pursue God's presence? In this season of your life, what are the practices, the rhythms that help put you in a position to receive God's presence? This goes right along with some things John touched on last weekend. He said that we can't earn intimacy with God. But we can pursue practices that help to open us up to experiencing more of God in our lives. John mentioned some great books like Celebration of Discipline and The Spirit of the Disciplines. Another book I that came to my mind this week is this little gem by a guy named Brother Lawrence, titled, "The Practice Of The Presence Of God." ● In the early 17th century, Brother Lawrence was stationed at a monastery in Paris. But he wasn't the head priest or a high ranking member of the order. Brother Lawrence repaired shoes and worked in the kitchen. ● And yet, Brother Lawrence discovered and then followed a pure and uncomplicated way to walk continually in God's presence. ● Rather than limit his "time with God" to specific religious activities, Brother Lawrence tried to converse with God throughout his entire day and regardless of whatever else he was doing. This unique practice produced such a spiritual change in Brother Lawrence that many people sought him out, so they could learn how to practice the presence of God themselves. ● And here we are 400 years later, learning from his example as well. Here's a couple other practices that have been really beneficial for me in this recent season, that you might also consider. Worship: This month, I've been immersing myself in a new Spanish Worship Album that our daughter Kate introduced me to. ● My wife Andrea is fluent in Spanish, and Kate is working towards fluency... but I'm still a beginner or intermediate. I understand enough to catch the gist, and I use Google translate to help me with the rest! ● It's been amazing, as I've been listening to this album, it seems to blow past the barriers of my mind, and it sinks deep into my heart. ● I've also been experimenting with listening to the album right before bed... love how often the songs are running through my head as I wake up; helping me to enter into God's presence even before I am fully conscious! Blessing of small group. Example of one of my men's mini group. We've been reading a book about Suffering. That sounds really exciting, doesn't it? To get up super-early on a Wednesday morning to have breakfast and talk about suffering! But seriously, through our group, I've been so reassured by God's presence in every experience in life. Here's a quote from the book we've been studying: ● "God is the ultimate present one. He has invaded my life by his grace. He is with me, for me, and in me. The hope I have is more than a theological system or wisdom principles for everyday life. My hope rests on the willing, faithful, powerful, and loving presence of God with me. " Suffering by Paul David Tripp That quote sums up so much of what I'm trying to communicate in this part of the message. Friends - if we can more deeply grasp the reality of God's presence, always being with us, it can produce real hope and security in us. Hopefully, the few examples I've mentioned get you started thinking about practices you could do - practices that could help you pursue more of God's presence. I encourage you to take some further time this week to experiment with a few practices and see how God meets you in those pursuits. So, again, this morning we've been talking about how to develop a close relationship with God. God is so much more than an idea, and being a Christian is so much more than agreeing with a set of principles. At the core - this whole thing is about coming to know God like we are known by him. Here is one final insight from Psalm 139 on how we can build a close connection with God. Pray Courageous Prayers This is not only a fitting point to close today's message with... in a way it wraps up this entire series we've been doing in the Psalms over the past few months. Throughout this series, we've been encouraging you to read and to pray the Psalms for yourself. Take them on as your own prayers, and then watch how your relationship with God grows and deepens. V. 23-24 of Psalm 139 is one of those prayers that you can make your own. David writes: 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Let this sink in for a moment. This isn't a garden variety prayer. It is pretty courageous stuff. But this is the kind of prayer that can emerge when we are convinced of how deeply God knows us and loves us. When we are saturated in the security of God's presence. And so we pray: ● God you already know everything... so search me. ● God, I believe I'm completely secure... so test me ● And reveal the deepest, most anxious thoughts of my heart ● God, I don't want anything to get in the way of your best plans for my life... So, point out anything offensive in me Close up... and transition into ministry time. Ministry time Here's another prayer I've been praying over the past month or so... that comes from Psalm 139.. ● God, you made me ● God, you know me ● God, you are always with me Other items: - Touch on how we can get lulled into apathy over the years... remembering days in the past when we related to God so personally, but we aren't experiencing that kind of intimacy with God right now. Reconnect today - Practical loneliness... leaning into God's presence with you, and experiencing the very real love of community. - Asked the question earlier: What could be different in your life? - Exchange counter at Target: "I don't need this."