How to Have Friendship with God: Approaching Him with Boldness

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God check out virtue our website for Christian women go to harvest.org/virtue today on a new beginning. Greg Laurie, pointing to motions as an example we can follow prayer bold and courageous Moses for the most audacious thing you said, the Lord, I want to see you please show me your glory. I love talking with you.

All of our conversations together would like to see you. God Moses on you can see God approaches thrown gingerly with reluctance and I'm sure even though he is God most high. Hebrews advisors become throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need is a new beginning for Greg Laurie points to the example of Moses showed us how to approach the Lord with uncommon practical insight taking our prayer lives next level. I have a message for you from a new series that were doing called water Firestone based on the life of Moses and the title of my message is how to have friendship with God. Would you like to have friendship with the creator of the universe. Talk about having friends in high places. I'm telling you it's possible I want to talk to you about a man that knew God in a personal way. A man would've friendship with God and of course the man's name is Moses Exodus 3311 says the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. What an amazing statement that is an especially in light of the fact that it's in the Old Testament. Not a few moments all talk about how we can have friendship with God and it's all a part of the new covenant as we might call it that came as a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We can all be friends with God, but in the old covenant in the Old Testament you didn't have that kind of access to the Lord, but Moses. He was the friend of God and one day in deep conversation. Moses and his friend God Almighty were talking and Moses asked for three things from the Lord. And if you're taking notes might want to write these three things down because these are three things you should ask for number one.

Moses asked the Lord for divine direction.

He asked the Lord for divine direction. Verse 13.

Now I pray if I have found grace in your site show me your way. Every believer should ask God to reveal his will to their life and I believe God has a plan for your life. The book of James says if any man like wisdom, let him ask of God and the Lord will give generously. So when you don't know what to do. Pray about it. Say Lord just give me wisdom. Romans 12 is a really important insight into how to know the will of God. Paul writes and says I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, present your bodies to the Lord as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, and don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Listen and he goes on to say that you may know what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So if you want to know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God first present yourself to God that something you do over and over. Not just once number two you.

You have your mind change as you read his word in your being changing the image of Jesus and then the Lord promises to reveal as well. Notice also. He says the good and acceptable will of God. God's will is good. Don't be afraid to ask God to reveal his will to you. Don't be afraid to say, not my will but yours be done. Never be afraid to commit an unknown future to unknown God. God loves you this plan for you is good and if he says you can't do that. That's because he's keeping you from something that is bad.

The Bible says no good thing will he withhold from those that walk up rightly so.

His plan for you is good. I love with the Lord says to Moses, verse 14. My presence will go with you and I will give you peace. The Hebrew here is vivid. It could be better translated my face will go with you and what is that even mean God says you have my full attention when I'm hanging out with my five grandkids. They always want me to watch them do whatever it is they're doing. Maybe it's a cartwheel.

Maybe it's writing a skateboard. Whatever desktop are they say watch me watch me and I want soon afterwards I give my approval all you did that beautifully. That was great. They want to be affirmed.

They want to be loved. They want to be appreciated. Are we any different or say Lord wants me Lord says you're my full attention. I'm looking right at you. By the way, aren't you glad God is never cell phone.

You know how distracted people. I was so phones and what is the Lord of what bodies you're scrolling through stuff not the Lord, you have a spool attention.

He's watching you. But he's watching you with great love and with affection. I think sometimes it they go. God is watching me.

That's a negative thing I heard a story about a thief that broke into a house was very dark. These making his way around and suddenly heard a voice pierced the darkness which said Jesus is watching you said you can believe it, and in the another moment passes and again the boy says Jesus is watching you. He's fumbling for his flashlight.

He turns it on and its parent, who says for the third time Jesus is watching you that the was laughing on. I was so scared and then he follows the purchaser goes down to the base and there's a Doberman with his teeth showing. And then the parent says. Second, Jesus while you know, first of all, don't ever name your dog Jesus okay but it's a silly joke to make the simple point. That's all.

Some people see God. Oh. Second, Jesus, God is against me, know God loves you. God is for you.

God approves of you know if you're living apart from him and send that's not true, but if you ask him to forgive you of your sin. The Bible says he is made, you accepted in the beloved. Ephesians 16 tells us that you are accepted by God. You are loved by God. You don't have to earn that every day it's done already bought for you by Christ on the cross and so the Lord is a buddy I got your back okay don't worry, I'll go with you.

You will have my full attention. Now number two Moses asked for confirmation verse. He asked for direction. Now, we asked for confirmation of verse 15. If you don't personally go with those don't make us leave this place. How will anyone know that you look favorably on this run me in on your people. If you don't go with us, Lord, the Angels are great okay but we don't want an angel.

We want you. I love that member when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning, she was not expecting to meet a risen Savior, she was going to show her devotion to him and anoint his dead body and suddenly an angel is talking to her there at the tomb and it's interesting because the angel engages her and says woman, why are you crying and Cecil's will because they've taken away my Lord but I don't know where they've taken them.

I find the path anyways you you think it's a way what you're looking angel and you just asked me a question. Whatever an angel was taken away Jesus all she could think about was Jesus. Jesus is in here I don't know where his body is Mr. Angel and then what happens after that Jesus appears and says Mary you see, Moses didn't want an angel. He wanted the Lord himself to go with him and that's what we should all want and God reassures his friend Moses in verse 17 the Lord replied favorably to Moses, I will indeed do what you bask and look favorably on you and I know you by name loose paraphrase, buddy. You got it. The Lord was drawing about this is always what God wanted to do for Moses, but Moses was learning how to pray and how to be persistent and how to keep going to the Lord again and again and again. Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service. It's a worship service. It's a Bible study and its wherever you wanted to be in your home in your car sitting on a beach walking down the street watching it on your phone wherever you are taken with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us Harvest at Home@harvest.org today we're learning to follow the example of Moses approaching the father confidently and expectantly. Pastor Greg continues his message now. Now Moses goes to the next level. Moses goes for the gold. He figures him and I'm on a roll.

God's answering my prayers and Moses asked for the most audacious thing. It's really unprecedented. What he asked for.

He actually said to the Lord.

I want to see you. Verse 18.

Please show me your glory. Another way the stated I want to see you. God I love talking with you. I love our conversations together but actually would like to see you. By the way, that is a good thing to want to see God A.B. Simpson, no relation to Homer Simpson. I don't think he's a commentator from days gone by, made this statement and I quote, once it was the blessing. Now it is the Lord once it was the feeling now it is his word. Once his gifts. I wanted now the giver alone. Once I sought for healing.

Now himself alone." I love that. So Moses is and I just want to see you, Lord, wouldn't Jesus say Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

He wanted to see the Lord. But of course if he saw the Lord. He would've died on the spot. The story is told of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Geiger on he was in outer space, and he famously said.

I looked and I looked and I did not see God have Yuri had taken his helmet off you with a stick cut really fast. You know, but I did all of us should want to see God when ACC got any know him, of course, but one day we want to see God face to face so the Lord works out a super sweet deal for Moses, check this out. Exodus 33 reading from the new living translation Lord replied, I'll make all my goodness pass before you and I will call out my name, the Lord, to you all show kindness to anyone I choose and mercy to anyone I choose, but you may not look directly at my face or no one can see me and live lower continuous stand here in the rock beside me is my glorious presence passes by a put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed.

Then I'll remove my hand and you can see me from behind by my face will never be seen like what Susan saying so beautiful. Lord Singer, my friend. I'm in a cut a special deal for you, Moses, let you do something no one is ever done before and what Moses then saw you. I can even imagine the apostle Paul died and went to heaven and came back to earth again and he said what I what I heard and saw his it's indescribable. It's unspeakable light can even put it in two words were of such a relationship with the go man I wish I knew God like that. But here's something that might surprise you.

Did you know that your friendship with God is the Christian is even closer than the friendship that Moses himself had with God is also possible because Moses was in the old covenant, and though this was a very special relationship he had with the Lord you if you're a Christian, are in the new covenant meal. We will even talk about new covenant when Jesus died a new covenant was established feet fulfill all of those Old Testament sacrifices and types in himself. He was the Lamb of God took away the sin of the world coming back to Mary who is hanging on to Jesus after he appeared to her he said stop clinging to me Primus to send to my God and be your God, to my father and your father note you in the Old Testament, called Godfather, but in the New Testament, we can all call him father because of the death and resurrection of Jesus the Lord is saying to Mary Mary, listen now he's your God, and now he's your father and you can call in him and so we can have this friendship with God.

And it's interesting because Jesus says no longer do I call you servants first servant doesn't know what is master is doing but I called you friends for all things. I prefer my father I've made known to you and Moses saw God, and you can see God to you may remember the story of Stephen in the book of acts see became the first martyr of the church, a courageous young man that would not back down from his faith and he stood before the religious rulers of that day known as the Sanhedrin, sort of the Supreme Court, but a religious group as well as a political group and and he proclaim the gospel to them and they rewarded him by taking his life through stony, a horrible way to die.

And as his wife was draining from him. We read that Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit gaze steadily in the heaven and saw the glory of God. They saw Jesus standing at the place of honor at God's right hand. Stephen saw his glory Moses saw the glory and one day will see his glory give a loved one who has died and gone to heaven who put their faith in Christ.

They've seen his glory there seen his glory, and one day you will see it too.

But until that day. We need to walk with him and friendship with him. So in closing I'm asking.

Are you a friend of God. You say I hope so.

Listen to this. If you're not a friend of God are by default an enemy of God, not a frenemy, an enemy of God. The Bible says before were believers that we are living in sin and we are enemies who need to be reconciled to God. The Bible describes people that don't believe as enemies of the cross.

The Bible also says a person that loves this world is not a friend of God, but that the enemy of God. So I don't think you want to be an enemy of God.

Do you think you want to be a friend of God.

I've told you my story before of how I became a Christian, but there was one statement that hit my heart like a lightning bolt from heaven and that's when Lonnie, who was the preacher that they set up my high school campus. Jesus said you're either forming or against me. Another way of putting it. He was in Yuri the God sprinter God's enemy. I looked around at the Christians and I thought while they're there. The friends of God. They have a relationship with God. They they know the Lord. Therefore him and I'm not one of them does that mean that I'm against double the last thing I wanted was to be against God, so that was the day I believe that maybe this will be the day you believed.

By the way, when I went to that meeting on the front lawn of my high school campus. I was not invited by anyone. In effect I was eavesdropping on their time of worship. Maybe some of you have joined this like that. If someone told you the two men in your checking it out to in your thinking. I don't know. It could this even be true and if it is true want to work for someone like me will number one it's all true. Everything I'm saying to you is true. Not because I said above, because the Bible says that and Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. It's all true. Number two, you can come into our relationship with God.

You can have your sins forgiven and you can go to heaven when you die you say no Greg that's too good to be true know it isn't. It is true, and it can be true for you right now. Jesus died on the cross for your sin if you would talk about intercession. Moses stood in the gap for the people of Israel. Jesus stood in the gap for you, and died in your place with one hand he took hold of a holy God with the other hand, he took hold of sinful humanity and spikes were driven through those hands and he bled and died on the cross for your sin and if you'll turn from your sin and believe in him, you can be forgiven just like that and know without any doubt that you go to heaven when you die and you to conceive the glory of God you to can have friendship with God right here right now. Maybe I'm talking to somebody that has no friends to speak of your lonely your isolated your hurting, you think no one cares about me. That's not true. God cares about you. I think a lot of other people due to but I know this much God loves you and God has a good plan for your life. But he won't force it into your life, you need to reach out and ask him to come and be your savior, your God, your Lord and yes your friend Jesus who died on the cross for your sin and rose again from the dead stands at the door of your life. Nonie Knox and he says if you hear his voice and open the door he will come in. That's what it means to be a Christian. It's having Christ live inside of you in a moment, I'd like to extend an opportunity for you to believe in Jesus opportunity for you to be forgiven of all of your sin if you want Jesus to come in your life if you want to go to heaven when you die if you want your sin forgiven, if you want to be ready for the Lord's return. If you want to start this friendship with God, stop what you're doing and pray a prayer with me right here right now again I'll lead you in the simple prayer and I want you to pray this after me you can read out loud if you like you can pray it silently. If you like, but offer this prayer to God in the future you just pray this if you will, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead. I churn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for sharing this prayer and answering in Jesus name I pray for Greg Lord closing in order prayer of prayer with those were making a decision for the Lord today and if you just pray that prayer with pastor Greg would like to follow-up with you and help you as you begin to live the Christian life would like to send you our new believers growth packet free of charge.

Atlanta the questions you might have and get you started off on the right foot. Just ask for it is your right a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300. Again, 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and if you like a permanent copy of today study you can call that same number for CD copy of the message called how to have friendship with God. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300 or stream it from our website@harvest.org or user harvest mobile app someone is said 2020 will go down in history.

And we ought to just leave it there and it's been a tough year and pastor Greg Goodman chosen a better time to release his new film, a rush of hope in the home seems to be in short supply these days is not a famous cardiologist wrote these words quote hope is the medicine I use more than any other pope can cure nearly anything." Let me ask you a question you find yourself without hope for your life.

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Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime 24 seven at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org the next time pastor Greg continues her studies based on the life of Moses. It's a look at the blessings the Lord has in store for his children. Be sure to turn in for a new beginning.

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