Is there anything more frustrating than when were on a call losing that phone call - or it’s just breaking up constantly?
Has that ever happened to you before?
You’ve had that connection then all of a sudden you hit a dead spot and you lose that connection - they think you’re still in conversation, but you’ve hung up, you’re trying to re-dial but you can’t get them b/c they’re still talking.
There’s nothing like establishing good connection and then keeping that connection.
You see the issue is never the tower - the issue is us.
The tower is set, the tower is in place, the issue is our phone -
and we all know living in Houston where some of the dead spots are - here’s the thing
we have dead spots in our lives too, we have those spots that we hit we can’t keep a connection w/ the Tower.
We can’t keep a connection w/ God, we want to, we try to but we hit those spots where we lose that connection and there’s no bars showing and there’s nothing more frustrating than when you feel like you’ve lost that connection.
Turn to Luke 22
How in the world do we keep a better connection w/ God?
(on your outline draw a line, 1 on left, 10 on right
a 1 means there’s absolutely no connection, maybe every no and then you come out of a cell and you connect with God but only for a few seconds - 10 means you are intimately connected - I mean you and God are hummin, smokin’ right together
all’s good, all’s well God’s right there by your side all the time. On that chart from 1 - 10 I want you to write where you think you are right now, this is just for you, do not cheat, do not look on the person next to you. On a scale from 1-10 where are you? this is just for you - it’s between you and the Lord, I’m not gonna ask you, and don’t ask me either.
How many of you would say, as i look at this I really would like my connection to be a 10, raise hand -
we all want it to be a 10 - what keeps it from being that? What happens to us that this connection that we want, that we desire, we know the Tower is there, we know it’s been established, and yet why do we keep hitting dead spots, why do we go month’s at a time where’s there’s no connection with God?)
What are some things that hinder your relationship with God? write them down on your outline, it may be work,
but you gotta work, it may be family, or hobbies. Basically wherever you are and that space to 10 you could write the word LIFE which would incorporate all those things wouldn’t it?
I know I’ve thought in the past that whenever I finished school or got a job promotion that life was gonna get easier - ever thought that? Who sold us that bill of goods?
We lose our connection with God for whatever reason, and really it’s us who were hurting the most - God is hurt that we are not hanging out with Him, but He doesn’t need it -
WE DO
God desires a connection with you
If you don’t know that, if you don’t think that’s the case, then you’ll never seek it or yearn for it, but God does -
He desires a connection with you and even more than we desire a connection with Him.
Now we can’t do anything about life can we, I can’t do anything about your job, I can’t do anything about your family,
and all those things, but we can establish some connections to help us remain strong with the Lord.
Luke 22 - Jesus knows the Cross is emanate, He knows it’s just around the corner. v. 39 circle ‘as usual’ it was normal for the Son of God to connect with His Father, it was the norm, it wasn’t an aberration, it was not something that happened every once and a while, it was the norm that He had a time that He connected w/ His Father. Jesus went out as usual, it could be said for us, Cole went to Starbuck’s as usual, Josh went to Kolache Factory as usual, Julie drank her Dt. Dr Pepper as usual, it’s a part of everyday life, it’s a pattern.
Jesus went out as usual, so what’s the big deal? Here’s this God-Man, who knows everything that’s to come, yet He understands and models for us how important it is to connect w/ Father God - it was a pattern in His life,
maybe there's something to it
read v.39-41, underline knelt and prayed
Remember we’re talking about the Son of God who scripture says could have called down 10,000 angels to whisk Him away yet He took time to connect w/ His Father, I think that’s a big deal.
Somehow we are more sophisticated and modern and we just don’t need to do that anymore - you and I have become so independent and strong and so all-knowing we don’t need that connection w/ our Father, do we? U better believe we do
See for all of us, life can be hard - get up early, scurry off to work, a full schedule, get home get dinner, take care of kids and their homework and showers and baths and bedtime - LIFE happens - read v.41-43
Jesus had something that you and I want, we all want a 10 - we want our relationship to be as strong as it can possibly be
we want it to be a 10, for that to happen there has to a word that sort of describes our relationship w/ God and that word is INTIMACY
We have to become intimate with our Heavenly Father -
here’s what it means:
Intimacy is to know fully & be fully known.
(15 yrs. ago Cathleen and I said, I DO - we thought we knew each other -
thank God there were no photos of here’s what this guy looks like in 15yrs.
but what we had at the altar 15yrs. ago - Who we are today and how we know each other pales in comparison)
Intimacy is to know fully & be fully known
It’s when you really know someone, you know everything about them, and you like ‘em anyways
But here we are 15 yrs. in and intimacy doesn’t just happen, it takes work - the 1st 4 yrs. no kids - then we had a kid - and now 2 - look at schedule now with the kids activities
and if you don’t work at intimacy you lose it -
just because you have a relationship does not mean you have intimacy
just because you have a relationship doesn't mean there's a spark there.
You know Joe, I’ve got this relationship with God, but no spark - I know that I know God,
but there’s just not that passion, I want that - I want it to be a 10
How do we do that - here’s some mile markers for us
The Road to Intimacy…
Mile Marker #1: TIME
there’s nothing that can develop intimacy greater that time.
it doesn’t happen in the home if hi, bye at the door
Intimacy is only developed thru time - if it’s that way here on earth, you can bet it’s that way our Heavenly Father.
How can we do that? I mean we give Him an hour or 2 on Sunday, but during the week I’m busy, I can’t give Him much.
Intimacy is developed thru time. scrip. 41 there was
· ONE-ON-ONE communication
He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed... Luke 22:41
Jesus w/ His Heavenly Father - we will never establish a healthy connection w/ God if we don’t put in time w/ Father God -
1 on 1, not sitting in a group, you and God together
to connect - there’s no magic pill, there’s no magic potion
It is only in developing the habit or pattern of TIME spent together.
We stop connecting w/ God when we stop spending time w/ God -
The Tower never moves, God never moves, us on the other, in a million different directions
Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10
how long has it been since you were still before God?
We have to find time to remind ourselves that the God of all creation wants to be with us.
You know what ‘Be Still’ means, to let go and ease up.
I’ve had to do that - how about you?
· Communication in the DAILY FLOW of life
it’s developing the habit daily - purposely spending time, scheduling time, what gets scheduled gets done -
how important is this to you? Do you want a 10?
We’ve talked about in the past giving God our 1st and best time
What to do? talk to God, read bible, find some sort of devotional to help guide you along - in dev. habit,
then when something happens crucial in our lives, God is the 1st one that comes to mind
‘Daily Flow’ is just what’s happening during the day (Cathleen and I didn’t dev. intimacy by just schedule time and talk only then - we talk all day, little bits here and there) - I want that w/ my Creator, don’t you?
…making the most of every opportunity, Ephesians 5:16
Mile Marker #2: TRUST
Time is important in dev. intimacy then time dev. trust.
“When we stop connecting we stop trusting”
Aren’t you stretching it a bit Joe, I mean I still trust God even if I don’t connect w/ Him on a reg. basis - well let’s think about this for a moment - when I don’t spend time going to God to help me make decisions and depending on his wisdom, who am I depending on? ME
So in reality, when we don’t connect w/ God and stop going to Him in all things we stop trusting in Him and banking on ourselves. The only problem with that is I don’t know what tomorrow holds, do you? But I have a Heavenly Father who knows the beginning, the end, and everything in between
that wants me/ you to trust Him.
… not my (Jesus) will, but yours (Heavenly Father) be done. Luke 22:42b
This is a faith thing, which is what, obedience.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (why? cant see tomorrow)
in all your ways acknowledge him, (here’s what He’ll do) and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
(He will give a light for your next step)
Cathleen and I have developed a great trust in one another, why? b/c we have spent 15yrs. in developing intimacy
Mile Marker #3: TRANSPARENCY
Transparency is when you see thru to the inside - it’s when we acknowledge who we really are.
Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me… Luke 22:42a (most of us are just not that intimate with God are we?)
We tell God, or better yet, if we tell God anything, we say, It’s all good, I’m fine - but quite often we tell our friends just how rough we got it. We just are not that transparent with God -
“God I’m really struggling in this area, I need some help”
“God this really ticks me off - why is this happening?”
You do know that He already knows how you feel - He loves you anyway.
God desires for us to take those masks off - not so He can see who we really are, but so that WE can see who we really are -
Intimacy is developed when we take off our masks and say God this is who I am, this is what I feel, this is what I think and God says, good, now we got something to work with.
We will never keep a strong connection with God w/out developing Intimacy through Time, Trust, and Transparency
(Tower has never moved)
God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
Those things that hinder, that stand between us and that 10, they sure rob us of a whole lot.
God desires to connect with you
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6
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