Pathways to Intimacy with God - It's Not about Rules, Ritual, or Religion, Part 2

For years I struggled with a warped view of God, deep in my heart I believe God wasn't for me. I believed he was against me and then something happened that revolutionized my life and I want to share that something statement welcome to this Tuesday edition of Living on the Edge with your finger on the edges of international discipleship ministry the Bible to be very up-to-date. Your continues a series pathways to see with God by sharing how you can move beyond habits and traditions relationship with God. So if you have your Bible ready Chapter 11 storage for part of his message.

It's not about rules, rituals, or religion. Verse 11 to 13 he reveals what I like to call the path of communion with God to this one. During principal. He gave a negative one. Now he says to them okay which one of you. If your son asked for fish, will give them a snake instead in the grammar here is very clear to answer. The assumption is that no one may know dad in his right mind if your boy comes to you and says hey could I have some fish and he said there's a snake. No or he plays it out again or if he asked for an egg. We give him a scorpion assumed answer absolutely not. If then you notice the logic he's building his case, the pattern, the parable, the application second parable principal if then you though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him to Jesus point is the path of deep communion with the father is not about performance, not about keeping rules. It's not about saying the right words at the right time with the right emphasis all God is not having all your life completely in order so that you never messed up and have I met you have got him. I measured up. We answer my prayer. Now it's not about approaching a God that if you get the right words at the right time and say it just right. You've done ALL the rules and tunnel rituals that maybe just maybe you can twist the arm of God because he really doesn't want to bless you. He really doesn't want to.

If you do everything just right, you could twist the arm of God and he'll give you what you want see that was the thinking of the day. Candidly that's the thinking of most of us see most of us we think about communion with God. We think you know what, how long are you supposed to pray what kind of words you supposed to say. Should you quote versus when you pray or not, put versus when you pray, where should you pray does God listen more. If you're flat on your face or if you're on your knees or sitting. Is it okay to pray with your eyes open. Can I pray in the car and I pray when I walk out what's exactly the right way to pray. Now if I write down the prayers that given more power and we have a million ways to talk about. I want to be close to God, will I guess I need to do this if I mess up. I guess I need to do these two things to make up for it. I need to tell him I'm really sorry I get a figure out a way to try and get God on my team. If only God would bless me. If only God would help me.

I know he helps other people that are more holy and more kind and more caring and more loving and more pure than me. But how can I get God to get on my team that's the attitude and what Jesus is teaching is that is not the right words or spiritual techniques or rituals. It's not about twisting God's arm.

It's not praying for long periods of time is not living a perfect life. It's about understanding who God really is. See most of our focus on communion with God is all about us and what we do what we don't do in the entire teaching. It's the classic teaching and all the New Testament on communion with the father and the teaching. The negative parable. The positive parable in the principal make one singular point. It's about seeing who God really is. Instead of seeing a God is hard to please a God who forces you to perform a God whose arm you have to twist.

He is a God who is eager to bless. He is a God that loves you he is a God that's concerned he's a God who is warm and receptive.

He is a God that no amount of measurement or performance, or technique mean anything to him. He sees through all that looks right into your heart and he is a God who says come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. He is the goddess is every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the father of lights within the is no variation.

He's a God who longs to bless his children who came to the planet and left all of the glory of heaven and all the angels and all the acclaim and took on human flesh to walk for 30 or so years to live a perfect life in the diatonic cross and be raised from the dead to let you know this is what the fathers like you know how the father feels about people who blown it. This is what he did to the woman was caught in adultery go and sin no more.

You want to hear.

The father feels about people who fake it in religious and exterior and hypocrites just listen to the harsh words of Jesus towards Pharisees. If you want to know what the father's heart is like about people who have loss and discouragement in the end they lost their only son of their only daughter.

He's filled with compassion and is moved within, and he touches people and he heals people and he raises him from the dead, and he feeds them. And he loves them and he says I care. And Jesus says the path of communion with the father is not so much about doing or performing or rituals or techniques. It's about understanding this one true and abiding principle and the one true and abiding principle is the God of the how much more how much more than your father.

The God who longs to bless who loves unconditionally, who hears and wants to give exceedingly abundantly more.

The God that is honor to you ready for this.

He's honored when we really believe and perceive him for who he is that he is good and generous and kind and loving and available and willing can open and receptive and concerned and then based on that truth we come spent a lot of years with my kind of a performance mentality and my Marine upbringing.

If you will, in the Christian life. In the first few years I was a Christian I was around a group that with great intentions kinda said you were the Marines of the Christian world ring be the few, the proud Marines were to be disciplined and so I got up after you know rejecting this for about a year and 1/2. I finally caved in and decided every morning to get meet with God and and then I had a very long list that grew and grew and grew.

It is my prayer list and I found a janitors closet and every day. I spent 1/2 hour to an hour hour and 15 minutes in prayer and I prayed through every name and every person, and I found it. You know what you can become a Pharisee in the 21st century, and I memorize hundreds of verses and you know what I went for year two. Three. I never miss today. Pray I can member coming in from a basketball game where we played far away.

I got in about 230 in the morning and I just wanted to fall into bed. Note camp on the bed. I've got a list appraiser and went to the janitors closet in mindless mumbling help Bob help Fred help do notice went through it and no matter how long I prayed always thought what if I left somebody out. What if there's one person is supposed to pray for and if I prayed this long will maybe supposed pray this long of a prayed this long ways is by this long and and how deep, depraved, know when to stop praying anyways God ever pleased and I had a God in my mind who is impossible to please, no matter what you did he raise the bar matter what you did he raise the bar.

Guess what I did like the pray. I want to who is to pray to God like that but you pray to God like that because you're afraid of what might happen if you don't hear this Christians it really don't experience communion with God, but their prayer life in their attempts at touching their creator is really revolving around all current rules written and unwritten sum from your family. Some from your background, some from your teaching and and other Christians. Really, it's all about rituals and I feel okay but if I don't go to church on this day.

Or, you know some other people you go pray a certain direction so many times a day and other people I had were certain colors of certain roads at certain times and like so many candles and say so many repetitions words so many different times so many people I mean there are rituals and rules and religions and all revolves around one fundamental thing and they miss the path the path is knowing what God is really like in prayer, if you will, is very simply keeping company with God.

If you really believe that God was for you. If you believe that every moment of every day he was on the edge of the throne of all of heaven and kinda looking down, and you're just sleeping and he's waiting for your eyes to open in the very first thoughts on your mind and your heart. He would like is going to bless you today and for you today.

I love to talk I know what's coming up today. I know where the challenges are coming.

I like to give you a few tips you know what, about 3 o'clock this afternoon. You can have a really difficult meeting and tell you what I like to do is I like to put my arm around Wednesday of this week. You can get some very, very bad news someone you loves can be an auto accident and I like to give you some truth in some promises to hang onto because otherwise it could really shake. I love you and for you. All I want to do is come you don't have to perform. It's not about rules is not about how long is not saying the right words is not impressing anyone I see your heart. I want to be with you. I want to bless you.

I want to love you.

I want to wrap my arms around you. I want to prepare you and protect. When you see God for who he is. Prayer becomes a joy doesn't mean there are times were you have to pull your mind and from wandering. Of course, doesn't mean you won't have to exert some willpower and discipline yourself in and move through some of the flesh. Of course, but by and large, more and more I have learned that God so longs to just simply bless and have me in his presence. And when I'm there. It is out of his goodness that he convicts me of sin when I'm there. It is out of his goodness and generosity that he brings doing things to my mind where I need to correct because every relationship at a kilter what's it going to do a print destruction. To me, and painted them see the path of communion with God is not about what you do, how long you do it where you do it it's all about knowing who he is. We make prayer all about us. How do we do it, what we say. Are these the right words, how long did we do it, do we go through all of our lists all those can be effective tools or all of them can be ways to deter you from the very point it's keeping company with God. You are related to the God of the how much more everyone of us that her parents and for those of you that aren't even pairs to me if you had a child and ask you for something to give a snake with no what's your heavenly thought your heavenly father longs to bless you. That doesn't mean you're going to get Alexis tomorrow in the second house and everything goes your way and you get again in Harvard. It means he wants to give you the highest the best the deepest the richest of things, it lasts forever that will fulfill and satisfy your heart like no thing, no accomplishment, no amount of money. No relationship. Nothing on this earth. He wants to love you and bless you and reveal himself to you and have you be a son or daughter who feels so affirmed and significant and loved and valued just for who you are that you go through life in ways that other people never understand is that the God that you pray to. If you believed seek we honor God the most. When we believe what he said about himself and respond accordingly. That's why Jesus said without faith.

It's impossible. Please didn't say without keeping rules. It's impossible. Please, and it is a without doing all the rituals is impossible. Please impedance it without being religious.

It's impossible please and he said without faith. Faith is believing what God has said about himself. It's trusting his promises to the point of acting on what is true, the Lord Almighty is with me. The Lord my God is with me. He's mighty to save. He will quiet me with his love. People rejoice over me with singing. And I think that my day starting. I haven't seen anybody in a heaven filled up my to do list to have many phone calls. I just thought the God of all the universities. My God and he's with me and is more powerful to deliver.

That's what the word save means no to deliver from any situation. Any conflict any pressure, whether it's minor with another person, or any circumstance. He's mighty to say and and when I get uptight. He is waiting he's waiting at any moment at any time. The spirit of God telling me he wants to quiet me with his love and when he thinks of me with all my ups and all my downs and all my struggles and all my three steps forward and two steps backwards in my mixed motives in the things that come out of my mouth but I wish I wouldn't when I lose my temper when I get frustrated Alanna traffic he still rejoices over me with singing, because on the object of his affection, because I am his son purchased by the blood of Christ and my relationship isn't based on my performance. Of course he's moving and transforming me and making me little by little, more and more like his son but he laughs me not. If I do something and not because I did anything and so I pray a prayer of affirmation for me. The second is prayers of adoration.

I didn't used to do much of this case to spend most my time pray in sort of the Marine right take the hill Lord take Garrett up Lord, what about this okay Lord, bring that person across Lord and I would just go and you know okay take the hill. I've learned that God delights for me to adore him and to enjoy him and I gave you a passage from a Psalm 103 says bless the Lord all my soul. Bless the Lord all that is within me forget. Not one of his benefits. He's the one who heals all your diseases. He's the one he read renews your youth.

Like the Eagle. He's the one who delivers you from her enemies, bless the Lord all my soul and all that is within me and often I just I've encouraged you here prayer of adoration. Bless the Lord all my soul and then in each phrase where it says who's delivered you from just pause and site Holy Spirit would you bring to mind. Were you deliver me. Thank you thank you thank you. Who heals all your diseases which you just bring to mind Nino times in the ICU with the kids or where I was at with this and what I prayed about, let Lord thank you just go through a time in an unhurried way.

Were you adore God were you take the truth of Psalm 103 and this is the God who longs to bless and you offer them back in just an unhurried, not trying to accomplish anything and you sit in his presence, and I do even with the couple coffee and I ponder over people in times of blessing and deliverance and I focus on enjoying God's presence.

God we are made in his image and God is the only being in all the universe who we could say wonderful good things about him forever and ever and ever and ever and we would fall infinitely short of what is true. He is the center of the universe, and you get realigned in your focus and realigned in your emotions and realigned and what matters when you get your focus off of you and your day in your needs and your stuff in your agenda and get it onto who he is and what he's done. The third way I've learned. This path is prayers of renewal and cleansing, and later on in Psalm 103, after he talks about the blessing that I love this.

It says he's compassionate and gracious, verse eight, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness will not always strive with us, nor keep his anger forever, nor reward us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his lovingkindness toward those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the West so far is remove your transgressions from us and I love this.

I this this just just as a father I can identify with. This has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, and I look at verse 14 for he himself knows our frame and and he's mindful that were but dust the DME week we cover ourselves over with such shame. You think God's really surprised when you blow it for me to do.

Really things out gamer I can't believe that today Michael is gone I can does God excuse our sin no but you know we we get wheat we put up such walls we spent in ordinance amount of energy hiding from God and not being honest and playing games, and the only one were fooling is us. He's all-knowing, he's all-powerful, he's all wise and so prayers of renewal and cleansing deliberately pray back to God. Verse by verse eight through 14 and then thank him and dwell on the completeness of the forgiveness and is a bring something to mind Olive Oyl lost my temper. You know, that was an appropriate NetMeeting or instead of giving my wife a complement boy was sharp with my tongue say Lord, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you've been so good but I thank you that as far as the east is from the west. That's how far you've taken away my sins thank you that you understand. Thank you that just like a father, and I understand my kids blow it that that's how you feel about me see if you do not have a right view of God, you'll never share communion with God.

You will play games and you play games and make up rules and if you don't like other people's rules, you make up your own, but I got news you can keep your own and and if rules don't work and you come up with little rituals and if I do this so often should I do this now and I do this now.

I do this at this right time, and I pray so many minutes I read two chapters and up little checkmark over here and I always come to church and I do this and do this and do that and you know what is just yet another game. All those things as means done to honor and glorify God out of relationship can be extremely meaningful and very helpful, but left to themselves, they have absolutely no power. We become religious people in the most dangerous people. The most dangerous people in the New Testament are religious people.

The people farthest from God in the New Testament are religious people, people who discover and make up ways to appear righteous in insight, but whose hearts are far from him. The final way for me is prayers of asking and I encourage you to read Luke 11 one through 13. A couple times and then when before you ask, but this picture in your mind this good, generous, kind, warm, receptive, non-reluctant absolutely on my team ready to bless me how much more better than I could ever dreamed or expect that to I'm coming to. So this is what I like always wants to do. How much more why so everything is better for us know so we get a higher clear more genuine view of him. What would happen if you believed the God of the Bible is the God of the how much more, and that he was for you and that he loved you and instead of what yada say or how long you say it or what body position you're in, or whether you do it morning noon or night, or what you read or don't read if your heart begin to be attuned that he would just love to be with you and is not down on you and he wants to bless you and then the forms and the patterns in the discipline will flow out of your hearts desire to know him as he is and enjoy him and then you express your love.

I will obey because he is the God of all goodness back at him and just doing your listening to Living on the Edge with shipping ships message today. It's not about rules, rituals of religion is from his series pathways to intimacy with God in the series are going to be challenged to move beyond routine to the richness of relationships we all long for with God and with others. But here's the thing though we rarely catch the important points. Just hearing a message once, so if chips teaching was helpful for you. Let me encourage you to listen again.

If you're thinking about making some changes pathways to intimacy with God. What you've been missing that will take your relationships to a whole new level. Check it out online and LivingontheEdge.org or place your order over the phone by calling us at 1-888-333-6003 will ship 01 of the things we see when we decide to step up our spiritual game if you will, is that there's a typically a lot of opposition.

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Scripture cards just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org welders trip with his application for today as we close today's program. I want to remind you of the concept of God.

You know when the disciples came to Jesus and wanted to formula, teach us to pray, teach us to pray like the Pharisees or teach us to pray like John the Baptist.

He taught his disciples. And what Jesus understood was the whole goal was intimacy. There was passion. There was a relationship that he shared with the father and that's what the disciples were picking up on but but they thought it was a formula and candidly so do we sometimes and so this idea that we come with. I have nothing to the how much more God is really rooted in an accurate picture of our heavenly father.

If you could see him if you could understand. He's a son and a shield. If you can believe in your heart that he gives grace and glory, and that no good thing will he withhold from you who walk up rightly. I mean, it would change her desire to pray, it would change how you pray, but it goes back to a fresh vision of who God really is, and we at Living on the Edge prompted by God decided there's no way real change will occur unless you get an acrid clear picture of the how much more God. So we poured resources and time and energy into series called the real God and I just might encourage you during the series.

If that's an issue about who God is. If, as I spoke and taught today you thought wow, I want to see God like that.

Let me encourage you go to the website and check out the real God.

We have an audio it's in a book. It's in a small group mean there's lots of different ways but I want to encourage you to pause and realize everything rises and falls with your view of God.

If you like the disciples if I like this disciples could ever see God for who he really is. I will tell you prayer will become a joy prayer will be intimacy with the Almighty and nothing is better or sweeter than that. Let me encourage you get to know God, just before we close. I will think those of you who make this broadcast possible through your generous giving Living on the Edge invests your gifts to purchase airtime, create programs and provide resources to help Christians live like Christians Living on the Edge has been a blessing to you, would you consider sending a gift today. You can donate online at http://livingontheedge.org or by calling us at 1-888-333-6003. Thank you for your partnership with us will I hope you'll join us again tomorrow is to continue as a series pathways to and although this is a very thing. Thanks for listening.

This edition of Living on the Edge