Intimacy with God – introduction

1. We recently used some Sunday mornings to study what the Bible says about the word “mind.”

2. These lessons revealed all kinds of minds, some good and some bad.

3. From this foundation we now want to turn to something else: intimacy with God.

4. Is intimacy with God possible? If it is, what does that mean and what does it not mean?

5. If intimacy God is possible, how is it accomplished?

6. If intimacy with God is possible, the mind or mindset of a person must be right.

7. We have described the right mind so we now want to consider the idea of being close with God.

FOR THIS INTRODUCTORY LESSON I WANT US TO CONSIDER WHO GOD IS. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE ARE MANY FALSE CONCEPTS OF GOD. UNLESS WE RID OURSELVES OF THE INCORRECT IDEAS ABOUT GOD (WHO HE IS NOT), CLOSENESS WITH HIM IS IMPOSSIBLE.

a) Several years ago a man wrote a little book “Your God is Too Small.”

b) The author was J.B. Philipps; this author did and outstanding job in this field of study.

c) Some of today’s material has been adapted from what he wrote.

2) In Mr. Phillip’s book he talks about the “policeman” view of God.

a) Not many people want to get very close and personal with a cop.

b) Unless a policeman is a spouse or a close friend, he or she is often avoided.

c) People can have an officer pull up behind them and they get nervous.

d) Come over a ridge and see a police car off to the side, and some slam on the brakes.

e) An officer in a public place may be eyed from a distance but avoided.

3) It is possible to have a “policeman” view of God.

4) There are people who perceive God to be like an officer hiding behind a billboard.

5) This view of God says deity is just “waiting” to someone doing something wrong.

6) God is just itching to punish people in this life and eternity.

7) This may be an engrained view of God in the minds of some, but it is not a Bible view.

8) God loved the world that He sent His Son, Jn. 3:16.

a) Police officers have no interest in paying the tickets they issue to others.

b) They are often present to fault or arrest people.

c) The Bible says Jesus did not come to condemn, Jn. 3:17.

d) Jesus came to “seek and save the lost” (Lk. 19:10).

e) Intimacy with God is not possible if we have a policeman view of God.

9) A second concept of God that is widespread is, “He is like my parents.”

a) This theory has been destructive to a lot of people.

b) It is probably impossible to fully conclude where this idea came from.

c) We can show that this belief is not accurate.

10) Parents come in all shapes and sizes.

a) Some become a mother or father very early in life.

b) We now have men and women becoming parents very late in life.

c) Some parents are not the brightest bulbs in the box while others have a genius iq.

d) We find parents who are very, very poor and others who are very, very wealthy.

e) Some parents are religious and some are not.

f) Parental discipline comes in all shapes and sizes.

g) In some homes, there is no discipline; children order around the parents.

h) In other homes, children are abused so badly they are injured for life or killed.

11) There is no such thing as a “perfect home” or “perfect parents.”

12) Neither are there “perfect children.”

13) We can find examples of good homes and good children.

14) Suppose we could investigate every parent that has ever existed and we find the best one.

15) In this case the parent or the set of parents would not be an adequate view of God.

16) The person or couple would be inadequate because they would not be prefect.

a) God is perfect.

b) His judgments are always just right.

c) His discipline is always right.

d) A good home with godly parents can give some insight into the character of God.

e) For more than a few, parental influence has not always been what it should have been.

f) In these cases people need to know God cannot be judged based upon the flaws of parents.

g) If we have a bad view of our parents and view God in this way, intimacy will be difficult.

17) Another view of God that precludes intimacy is the “grand old man.”

a) This view is especially common among young children.

b) God is seen as being like grandpa, just sitting back in heaven rocking away in eternity.

c) For many the idea of a gray haired and wrinkled God is not a call to intimacy.

d) People want to be close to someone they can identify with.

e) They want to be near to those who have similar interests and experiences.

f) The idea of a grand old God just doesn’t appeal to a lot of people.

18) What we have to ask is whether or not the Bible presents God as an “old man.”

19) Jehovah is clothed in strength and majesty (Ps. 93:1).

20) He is a “great God” (Ps. 95:3).

21) Another common but false concept of God is a milk-toast type of deity.

22) God exists, but He is regarded as a meek and mild being.

a) This is the time of year when a lot of people put up Christmas displays.

b) Street after street has nativity scenes.

c) In the world babies are often called “cute,” “adorable,” “sweet,” “lovable.”

d) There is not much interest in having a close and personal connection with an infant.

e) No one wants to try to carry on an adult conversation with an infant.

f) When it is time to change the diapers or clean up vomit, some turn and run.

g) As a baby Jesus does not come off as someone to seek intimacy with.

h) A weak and frail deity is also not an incentive to look for intimacy with God.

i) Who would want to become close to a God who is weak and limp?

j) Jesus said (Mt. 28:18-20) that He has all authority and power.

k) Our view of God shapes whether or not we want intimacy with Him.

l) If you learn nothing else from this lesson, take this point home.

m) How we view deity determines whether we want association with Jehovah.

23) If our view of God is flawed, then we base our decision on bad—very bad—information.

24) When speaking about false concepts of deity we must include the 100% God.

a) By 100% I am not discussing whether or not God is perfect.

b) God is presented as being perfect but this is not the point.

c) Some have the idea that God expects people to be without sin; 100% perfect.

d) This idea is an incorrect interpretation of some passages or religious tradition.

25) What if we had a friend that expected us to be perfect every single time?

26) In this imaginary situation our friend (associate) expected us to:

a) Never make the slightest mistake, never be a minute late, never have a hair out of place,

b) Never wear clothing that was not absolutely perfect,

c) Never used incorrect grammar, never say the wrong thing, never interrupt,

d) Never stay too long, never talk too long, never cook too much, too little, etc.

e) We would not be friends for very long.

27) We may have high expectations of people but we should never have perfect expectations.

28) The Bible says all sin, Rom. 3:23.

29) Not one of us will always be 100% in every area.

30) Yet, there is a common misconception about God that He expects us to be perfect.

a) If we could be perfect we would not need Him.

b) We do need Him because we are not perfect.

c) When someone believes God requires them to be perfect, they create a barrier.

d) Believing God requires us to live flawless lives means we have a blockade to intimacy.

31) False ideas about God abound so there are many issues about being intimate with God.

32) There is even the notion that God is just too busy to take time for somebody like us.

33) God is portrayed as a big time director who may not take time to notice regular people.

34) If He does pay attention, it is only to those who have some type of status.

a) We have all seen someone the world considers important.

b) It may be a government official or a famous actor.

c) Who are we compared to the rich, famous and powerful?

d) How could God be so concerned about us?

e) If this is our view of God, we have another obstruction to intimacy.

f) Jesus said God pays attention to the birds, Mt. 6:26.

g) He also said God knows the “number of hairs on our head.”

h) These passages tell us no person is too small or insignificant.

35) My final false view of God is found in what Philip’s calls “perennial grievance.”

36) This is a fancy way of describing those who have found God to be a disappointment.

a) People may have said to us, “I tried God in the past.”

b) “I prayed for something, something important, and it did not happen.”

c) Perhaps the prayer was for a sick family member, maybe a child.

d) It may have been a prayer for food when someone when through difficult times.

e) Someway, somehow God was tested and people didn’t think God did too well.

f) Maybe they believe God was a complete failure.

37) Because God didn’t do what some asked or wanted, He is regarded as unworthy of honor.

38) Consider the attitude that says God is unworthy of respect, honor, worship and service.

39) Would we want to have intimacy with such a being?

40) If there is someone we do not like, do we want to be close to him or her?

41) If there is someone we have no respect for, how much do we want to be around that person?

42) Intimacy with God begins with a right view of God. It must begin at this place.

43) Do we have the right view of God?

44) Do we regard God as the creator and sustainer of the universe?

45) Do we regard Him as loving man and sending Christ to die for the sins of the world?

46) If we believe these things, we are on the right road to finding intimacy with God.