Intimacy with God

Intro: I have said many times that the O. T. was as important for us today as it was for those to whom it was written. It was written for our admonition. 1 Corinthians 10:11 (NLT)  These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (NLT)

V:9a “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately.” Some describe intimacy with the phrase "into me see." It’s more than just head knowledge. Even the demons have head knowledge of God and Jesus. James 2:19 (NLT)  You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

Intimacy with God means to know Him in depth, knowing many different aspects of His person, like trust, what He likes and dislikes, how He will respond in different situations, because of the many experiences you've shared with Him. Intimacy takes time to learn! It starts with a desire to really know Him more than just a surface relationship. It’s sharing your time and life with Him. Learn To like what He likes and do what He does. All saved people have not same closeness to God. Intimacy is work!

V:9b Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. Intimacy with God involves worship- adoration, reverence, and respect for who He is! He’s not the old man upstairs!

This is one of the main reasons for church. Worship involves obedience! Worship must be with whole heart and willing mind, not forced or coerced. A. W. Tozer, once regarded as a prophet of the 20th century, said, “True worship is to be so personally and hopelessly in love with God, that the idea of a transfer of affection never even remotely exists.”

Exodus 20:3 (NKJV) You shall have no other gods before Me.

Intimacy with God involves service of some kind. There is some way we can all serve God. All of us can develop our willingness and ability to help. He has given each of us a gift with which to serve Him. Romans 12:4-8 (NKJV) 

⁴ For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
⁵ so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
⁷ or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
⁸ he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Jesus gave us the command to pray to the Lord of the harvest for laborers to be sent forth into the fields. We can all pray for this church, prayer list and pastor. Pray For lost souls to be saved here in this place. Pray we would do God’s will. Must be done with your whole heart, no reservations, not halfway, and you must have a willing mind. Don’t serve God because you have to, but because you are willing to do what He says. Service for the Lord brings you closer to Him.

V:9b For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought.

God knows your attitude and motive for each thing you do. What does God see when He looks at your heart? Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable. All will be judged! Not just on what we have done, but our attitude and reason for what we have done.

V:9c If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
Intimacy with God involves putting Him first and seeking to know Him more than anything else. Philippians 3:8-11 (NLT) ⁸ Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ ⁹ and become one with him. Whole hearted commitment!

If you can reject Jesus and walk away from Him, then God will reject you forever.

V:10 So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” Solomon was to build God a place to dwell among His people. God now dwells in us.

All activities of building a temple should be to prepare for the reception of God's presence in all His glory. We are to be one with Him, He is to control our every thought, word, and action. Ephesians 2:20-22 (NLT) ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)  Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. We are to prepare our hearts for the fullness of God’s presence in our daily lives. It is a continual work until the day we die.

Invitation: How intimate are you with God? How much do you experience Him in your everyday life? Would you be willing to confess you don’t know God as much as you should? You are not as close to God as you want to be? God wants you to have the closest of relationships with you so He can reveal more of Himself to you. Are you willing to start seeking God as He wants you to?

You can never be close to God without asking Jesus God’s Son to forgive your sins and save you.

Prayer of Praise

Prayer of Praise

1 Chron. 29:10-15

1 Chronicles 29:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹ Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly. ¹⁰ Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.

The people and David had just given freely and wholeheartedly to the building of God’s Temple.David rejoiced in his prayer and gave the God of heaven praise for His greatness.     Praise is the offering of grateful honor and worship in words or song. This prayer is different than most because it is not a petition for anything but instead David in his prayer gives God glory for all He is and what He has done and is doing for Israel and all mankind.

1 Chronicles 29:11 (NLT)
¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore-(love, respect, and admire, esteem) you as the one who is over all things.                                         

 The purpose of the temple was to worship and exalt the Lord and to acknowledge that God is sovereign ruler over all. David modeled before the people the worship of the living God. It typically starts with praise for God’s omnipotence because He has complete control over the universe, and has great power in the heavens and earth. He is the glorious Master over all things and all beings.

 1 Chronicles 29:12-14 (NLT)
¹² Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. ¹³ “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!

David confessed that the riches and honor he and the people enjoyed had come from God’s generosity. People today think that these things come from their great ability. But verse 12 tells us the truth about where riches and honor come from. When we learn to accept the fact that God owns it all, it will open the door to give freely and willingly as these people had done. The offerings David and his people had just made were possible only because God first had given to them, and God made them to be: Able to offer so willingly: Not only is the ability to give, but the willingness to give, is also a gift of God, to those who are close to Him. When you realize that it all comes from God and belongs to Him, that you are only steward of what God has given you, you will want to give to  Him.                           2 Corinthians 9:7-9 (NLT) ⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” ⁸ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. ⁹ As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forev

 1 Chronicles 29:15 (NLT)
¹⁵ We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

David calls us to reality. We are only Aliens-visitors and strangers: David asserts that life on earth is transitory and very temporary. Only when a person becomes conscious of his or her place within the care and blessing of a sovereign God does life become more than a shadow. Suddenly the hope of a future with God illuminates that person’s journey on this earth.

Hebrews 11:13-16 (NLT)
¹³ All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads (wanderers) here on earth. ¹⁴ Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.
¹⁵ If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.
¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 13:14 (NLT)
¹⁴ For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Invitation: Do you know realize that God is in control of everything, even your life and eternal destination? Are you prepared for the day you stand before Him and answer the question He will ask, “Why should I allow you into my Kingdom?” What will your answer be? The only answer God will accept is that you have asked His Son Jesus to forgive your sins and invited Him into your life. If you have not done this, then I plead with you to ask Jesus Christ to save you right now. Then you will live eternally with God the Father and Jesus  His Son.