Commitment to Closeness with God

Hey everyone. I just wrote a teaching for this Saturday's youth group and I thought you might appreciate it. It is about establishing closeness with God. Hope you enjoy it.

Series Ministerio de Jovenes
A Youth with the Heart of God SeriesChoice #6 – Commitment to Closeness with God

Introduction: A few years ago I heard a story about a small city in the country side. This city had a clock tower that many of the people used to make sure they had the right time. The clock had a system that had to be adjusted each day so that it could operate correctly. Each day the man in the clock tower on his way to work would walk by a clock shop, take note of the time and adjust the time of the clock tower based upon the time in the shop keeper’s window. For some time this continued to take place. He would walk by each day find out what time the clock in the window and then adjust the time accordingly. One day when the man was walking by the shop the shop keeper of the clock shop just happened to be outside washing his front windows. The man proceeded to tell the shop keeper how thankful he was for his shop because every day he adjusted the clock tower according to the time of the clocks in the shop. The shop keeper responded in shock. He proceeded to share that each day the shop keeper adjusted his clocks based upon the time on the clock tower. So the majority of the town where late for the majority of their activities because both the shop keeper and the man in the clock tower adjusted their times based upon each other.

Adjusting ourselves daily to the person of the Father
I share this story because in this lesson we will be talking about the commitment to closeness with God. The man in the clock tower had to adjust his clock each day in order to keep the right time. In many ways this can be related to the need for us as Christians to draw close to God each day or else we can be out of sync with the Father and not even know it. Listed below are a few things about closeness with God:

• It is the responsibility of the Christian to draw near to God not God. The invitation to have intimacy with God has been given to each believer. Whether they accept that invitation or not depends on the believer. God is willing to accept them but they must take the first step and make Him the priority.

• Drawing near to the Father requires that you let go of things that are distractions. The process of drawing close to God is a process that brings us face-to-face with distractions. Distractions that have to be removed become more visible the closer we draw to God.

• God longs for us to draw near to Him. It is the desire of the Father to have an intimate relationship with each of His children. It is more important to Him that we draw near to Him then it is what we do for Him.

• As we draw near to Him we become more aware of the things that must change in us. The prevailing characteristic of drawing near to holiness is an awareness or ones lack of holiness. That means that as we take steps to further relate ourselves to Him it demands that we start correcting the flaws in our own faith walk that are hindrance us from the goal of knowing God.

• When we draw near to God, he draws near to us. The first step is that we draw near to God. Then He draws near to us. It is a requirement to knowing Him.

• Closeness with God does not come by accident. Knowing God intimately is not a by accident. Those who have intimacy with God have done so through purposeful effort. They simply do what is necessary to make “the God priority”.

Drawing near to God in the scripturesAs we study the scriptures we find a number of things that are revealed about the importance of drawing near to God.

Hebrews 10:19
“19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21And having an high priest over the house of God; 22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

I like this passage because it says we draw near to God by a new way of living and with confidence that God will accept us.

Psalms 73:28
“28But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.”

Drawing near to God means that we out our trust in Him. Specifically the confidence that He knows what is best for us and that He will act in what is in the best interest for us whether we understand it or not.

James 4:6-7
“6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

Again drawing near to God is the process of removing ones self from pride. It is exchanging ones own self-sufficiency for the assurance that the Father has everything under control.

The pocket watch

The way that I like to look the process is that our life is like a pocket watch. In this day and age people do not use pocket watches any more but years ago the main type of watches were pocket watches. Pocket watches are very different then digital watches because pocket watches require more of a commitment to maintain the right time. Twice a day, once in the morning and once in the night, a pocket watch must be wined or adjusted to ensure that it has the right time. If the process is skipped just one day then there is a greater chance that the watch will not keep the right time. The same is true with our spiritual relationship with the Father. We frequently draw near to the Father so that we can (1) know what it is that He desires of us, (2) maintain Him as the priority in our lives, (3) so that we can learn His ways and (4) so we do not make the mistake of thinking our desires are the desires of God when they actually are not.

Adjusting yourself daily to God’s Time
In the last part of this lesson I would like to help you by giving you a few bits of advice to draw near to the Father:

1. Making intimacy with God “THE PRIORITY” Psalms 1:2-3. Too many people make the mistake of making the Father one of their highest priorities. The only problem is that God does not want to be one of our highest priorities, he desires to be “THE PRIORITY”. Psalms 1:2-3 “2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Everything else and every other activity gains significance through how it helps us to better become who the Father desires for us to be.

Application: The only way that this happens is through spending time with the Father. If we love Him as much as we say we love Him we will spend time with Him. Begin to set appointments with the purpose of simply being with the Father.

2. Come to the father on His terms -Hebrews 4:12. The most dangerous position for a believer to have is when they think they are doing what God wants them to do when they really are doing what they want to do in the name of the Father. A separation must take place where the individual will of the believer can be examined and indentified when it is not in agreement with the will of the Father.

Application: The only way that this takes place is when a system is in place that helps us indentify when we are doing our will and not God’s will. This system only comes with maintaining contact with the written Word of God the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 “ 12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Bible helps us discern the difference between what is simply our soul’s desire and what is the desire of the Father. The more we go to the book the more we will be able to identify the difference.

3. Find yourself a holy place. I almost hesitate in using these phrase because of the over spiritualized picture that has been painted over the years in the church but there is something to be said about holiness. Holiness by definition is does not being super spiritual. It actually has several elements help us draw us near to God.

Application: First it transcends time. When you go to this place you lose track of time because God is there. You can spend hours in a holy place and it seems like minutes. Find yourself a place that is free from distractions and where time seems to stand still. The next element is a holy place brings an awareness of God. There is a literally awareness that God is there. I have noticed in my own prayer life that when I have a holy place and I know that God is there I talk less and listen more. Enter your holy place with an awareness that God is there. Lastly a holy place is a place of focus. It is a place dedicated to knowing God. When we go your holy place do your best to limit distractions.

Conclusion: An intimate relationship with the Father is available to everyone that desires it if they are willing to do what it takes to draw near to the Father. Again it is not God’s responsibility to draw near to us. He did that when Jesus came to the earth and died on the cross. Now it is up to us to respond to that invitation.