Main Title: Intimacy With God

By Pastor Michael Magbag

Scripture:

Psalm 25:6-8
New International Version (NIV)

6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

Question :

- How is your relationship with our Lord?

- What is the difference between religion and relationship with God ?

To completely  understand the true meaning of the words religion and relationship with God further we  all need to know the true meaning of it:

What Is Religion ?:

 "We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think religion stops people from thinking. I think it justified crazies."

 + The word religion comes from the Latin and while there are a few different translations, the most prevalent roots take you back to the Latin word “Re-Ligare”. “Ligare” means “to bind” or to “connect”.  Adding the “re” before “ligare” causes the word to mean “Re-Bind” or “Re-Connect.”

+ Religion is not a bad word. Religion does not encourage people to “stop thinking”. In fact, religion encourages people to think about how they can re-bind themselves or re-connect with a God who is infinitely more intelligent and loving.

While on the other hand Relationship with God :

Relationship with God means that we are all receiving communications from God about himself both through his word and through history. He comes to us in Jesus Christ, in his teaching, in his cross, in his apostles, through his word, and he is speaking to us. And his speaking is made vital to us by the present presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

Question : Are we looking to have a godly relationship with Him or we just look at him as a religion?

- We cannot just be a religious person  because we also need to have a good relationship with our Lord.

Scripture :

Philippians 3:7-8
New International Version (NIV)

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

- Our God gave his  religion to us for the very purpose of having an intimate relationship or connection with him  and not as a tradition nor either as a custom.

Pointers:

I. You Are Important To The Lord .

- God cares about us! and He wants us to accept His friendship.

- That's also the main  reason why He sent His only begotten  Son so that our sins will be forgiven.

Remember This My Dear Brothers & Sisters That We All Are Gods Greatest Creations

Scripture

Genesis 1:26
New International Version (NIV)

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Psalm 8:4-5
New International Version (NIV)

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?[a] 5 You have made them[b] a little lower than the angels[c] and crowned them[d] with glory and honor.

- You are very important to Him that He even created you by His own image.

- He doesn't even care about the status of your life , neither your nationality or even your religion to God you are his priceless achievement and treasure.

Question : If You Not Are Important To Him Then Who And What Is?.

II. There Is No Favoritism To Our Lord Neither You Are Sinful Or Not That's The Way He Loves You And Cares For You:

Scripture:

Romans 2:11
New International Version (NIV)

11 For God does not show favoritism.

That He even Forbidden Us From  Having Favoritism as seen in James 2 : 1- 12

Scripture :

James 2:1-12
New International Version (NIV)

Favoritism Forbidden

2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.

Remember this my brothers and sisters that no one is perfect , pure and righteous for all us are sinners and we all deserve the "Punishment of Death" but due to his love He gave us His own begotten son to be the sacrificial lamb for our immorality and unrighteous.

Scripture :

Romans 4:7
New International Version (NIV)

7 “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

- We must all forgive one another and love one another the same way that God loves us

Conclusion :

- We must all respond to God's call

- Remember that you are the most important creation to God

- God doesn't have any favoritism .

- And God desires to have a relationship with "You"

Question : The question is do you desire to have a relationship with Him?.