A Quest for Intimacy - 5

 A Quest for Intimacy - 5

Subject – T.I.M.E.

By Rick Welborne

Philippians 3:7-14 (NKJV)
⁷  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
⁸  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
⁹  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
¹⁰  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
¹¹  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
¹²  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
¹³  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
¹⁴  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 3:10 AMP                                                                                                                                         [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him—that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His person] more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [the power it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.    

--Today we conclude the series “A Quest for Intimacy” but hopefully this is not the end of our quest to be intimately acquainted with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

--If we will experience the transformation that we need and if we will ever be what our world needs us to be to reach them, it will be from getting more intimate with our God. That I might know Him.

--Today I want to use an acronym for the word TIME. Hopefully Holy Spirit will teach us the truths we need to know about how to get more intimate with Jesus. 

1. T – Time

--Wow, Pastor Rick, that is so profound. I actually believe that with our world in this hectic spiral of quickly going nowhere fast that it is profound.

--If we will have this intimate relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it will definitely take time. Paul said it in the amp version. That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him.

Progressive – happening or developing gradually or in stages proceeding step by step.

--I am sorry to be the one to break the news to you but if you will get close to God and have this wonderful intimate relationship, it will take time. You have to be intentional. 

--The disciplines (we love that word) we discussed will take time to develop. The discipline of simplicity, silence, solitude (my least favorite), and surrender (trust).

--Many of you (I have heard you) have said “I would really like to get in shape. I would love to drop 30 pounds. If you are sincere, it will take discipline and time. We would rather take a pill. Listen to Solomon:

Ecclesiastes 3:1&11 (NIV)
¹  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
¹¹  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

--Solomon is trying to help us understand that if we will draw near to God that it will take time. He even tells us that there are depths in God that we can’t even comprehend. They are revealed to us by Holy Spirit.

Romans 13:11&14 (NLT2)
¹¹  This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
¹⁴  Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

--There is only so much time and that time is running out. Let’s face it, we make time to do the things that are a priority to us. In your extreme busyness, what is it you make time for? That is your priority. 

Lamentations 3:25-29 (NLT2)
²⁵  The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 
²⁶  So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.
²⁷  And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:
²⁸  Let them sit alone in silence beneath the LORD’s demands.
²⁹  Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. 

2. I – Intimacy 

--Obviously this is an invitation for closeness. Time alone with God is a crying out to God…Into Me See! The discipline of solitude is a welcoming of God to be close.

--That closeness reminds me of the mirrors you ladies use that magnifies your face about a 1000 times. I did that once and I thought I was looking at the surface of the moon. Craters!

--When we draw near to God in His presence and draw near to Him by reading and studying His Word, we begin to see ourselves for how we really look. Why I have trouble with prideful spiritual people.

James 1:23-25 (NIV)
²³  Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
²⁴  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
²⁵  But the man who looks intently into the Perfect Law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

--If these mirrors are not bad enough you women use, some sick person decided to put extremely bright lights all around them. Every blemish is high-lighted and you wonder if there is any hope at all. 

--When I get as close to God as I possibly can and I am in the light of His glory, I see what a wretched sinful person that I am. The Word bears this out again and again.

--John the Revelator, Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, and the Apostle Paul experienced what I am talking about. They were not filled with pride but humility and surrender. That intimacy brought obedience. Example please.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV)
¹  In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
²  Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
³  And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
⁴  At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
⁵  "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
⁶  Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
⁷  With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
⁸  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 

3. M – Meditation

Meditation - to focus one's thoughts on: reflect on or ponder over. The act or process of spending time in quiet thought.

--Meditation, in its self is not wrong, it all depends on what we are thinking about. To be intimate with God is a process whereby we find ourselves thinking about Him all day long. This psalm sums up everything:

Psalm 4:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
²  How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah
³  But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
⁴  Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.
⁵  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. 

--Meditating on God is not a denial about the enemies you have. It is awareness that God is for you. Meditating on Him is being still and knowing He is God. It is drawing so near that you know you can trust Him. 

4. E – Evolution

Evolution - A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.

--Intimacy with God can become the process where we evolve into something better. Our intimacy causes cleansing from sin and the effects of this nasty world. Again, let’s allow the Apostle Paul to sum up:

Philippians 3:10 AMP                                                                                                                                         [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him—that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His person] more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [the power it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.    

--If you find yourselves not liking the word “evolution”, replace with “evangelism”. If you are intimate with God on a regular basis you will have the same attitude Isaiah had. 

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
⁸  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"