Pentecostal Church of God, Bland Mo. 65066

Full Gospel Ministry in Song and Word
Pastor Rev. Steven Wagner Telephone: 573-437-5190

Rt 3, Owensville MO. 65066

Date: 2/15/98

SPIRITUAL INTIMACY

(Psa 46:1 KJV) To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

(Psa 46:2 KJV) Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

(Psa 46:3 KJV) Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

(Psa 46:4 KJV) There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

(Psa 46:5 KJV) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

(Psa 46:6 KJV) The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

(Psa 46:7 KJV) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

(Psa 46:10 KJV) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

(Psa 46:1 NIV) For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

(Psa 46:2 NIV) Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

(Psa 46:3 NIV) though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

(Psa 46:4 NIV) There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

(Psa 46:5 NIV) God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

(Psa 46:6 NIV) Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

(Psa 46:7 NIV) The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

(Psa 46:8 NIV) Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

(Psa 46:9 NIV) He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

(Psa 46:10 NIV) "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

A. The Church is running around like either a sleeping dog, or the other extreme like a pack of hungry wolves not knowing really where they are going, but there doing something.

a. Today the church many times is out trying to come against Satan in the name of Jesus Christ with their favorite scriptures, or methods stirring up a lot of dust and commotion but are very insecure of what God can do.

b. This causes the church to be fearful of the enemy, and very insecure about their God.

B. We are in a spiritual battle church.

a. We are very self-important people when it comes to spiritual warfare.

b. We seem to believe that ever since we woke up and realized what is going on, the whole weight of the battle is on our shoulders.

c. Fact of the matter though These spiritual conflicts have been raging for eons of time.

d. There have been skirmishes and engagements on various scales since Satan fell from Heaven.

e. Yet, through all the centuries, God has been able to handle it -without us.

C. We seem to think that either victory or defeat will be determined by us.

a. We will either win or lose the spiritual battles that lie ahead of us, and the outcome will be determined by our degree of vigor and militancy.

D. This concerns me, not because we are taking a militant stand against the enemy, however.

a. Because of the methods we are employing.

b. We seem to have become engulfed in a frenzy, lacking inner peace that our God is God.

c. As a result we have leaped into the battle with knowledge-deficient zeal.

E. Isn't it interesting that while the world is convulsing in chaos and turmoil, God is calling His bride to intimacy with Him?

a. The Psalmist writes, "Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall..."

b. Those words fill the headlines of our daily papers everyday.

c. But in the midst of this uproar, what does God say?

d. He says, "Be still and know that I am God. Come to me, and I will give you rest."

F. You see what we need to be doing instead of running here and there and mad wolves, trying everything we can get our hands on WE NEED TO INVEST TIME IN SPIRITUAL INTIMACY, our strength is renewed and we are able to face everything this world dishes out.

I. SO OFTEN WE TRY TO SIDE STEP GOD IN PRAYER AND INTIMACY WITH HIM.

a. We figure that we can renew our own strength and prepare ourselves for battle we face in this world.

A. We have misinterpretations of Scripture that reinforce this erroneous approach. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force,"(matt. 11:12).

a. We read verses like this and then go off to "take it by force" with great "violence."

b. Jesus wasn't saying go out there and "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps"

c. This leads believers to put their faith in their own ability to "take it by force".

1. Compare verse 12 of Matt. 11 to verse 29, where Jesus is saying the NIV version "...Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls."

B. How can we take it by force if we do nothing?

a. It's not that we do nothing, it's that we develop a close relationship with God.

b. That relationship becomes most powerful when it comes to demonic confrontation.

1. Jesus in the wilderness was confronted by Satan, but the whole time Satan kept tempting Him to call on His deity to save Him, but Jesus said, (Mat 4:4 KJV) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

2. Satan would love for us to focus in on fighting him as long as we never develop in the same character that defeated him in the wilderness with Jesus.

a. The character of Christ in us defeats the enemy because it causes us to become the opposite of Satan.

b. Any effort we put into fighting Satan without drawing closer to Jesus is simply laughed at by the enemy.

3. Lets consider what we have accomplished by "taking it by force."

a. We smugly believe that we are enlightened concerning spiritual warfare and that we have learned how to break Satans grip.

b. Why we are Pentecostals we know how to claim in the name of Jesus, quote Mark 16 and cast out devils but, but, but, but.

1. If we are so spiritually enriched, how is it that our whole world is growing worse and worse?

2. If we know so much and our methods are so effective, why isn't there a revival sweeping across our land?

3. Why is Satanism an ever increasing threat to our society?

I BELIEVE THE REASON IS THAT WE ARE NOT RESPONDING TO GOD'S CALL TO SPIRITUAL INTIMACY.

II. SPIRITUAL INTIMACY GOES BEYOND JUST PRAYING.

A. Many people say, "We do pray," but they still fell insecure.

a. The problem is we are praying to obtain certain objectives.

1. However when you respond to God's call to spiritual intimacy, you use prayer to develop a relationship with God, and that's when you learn to trust God because you get to know Him. Its hard to trust anybody you don't know.

2. Only when you pray to develop relationship can you really be still and know that He is God.

3. That's the whole point of Ps 46:10. God said that the only way to know that He is God-that is, beyond mere head knowledge-is by being still and doing nothing except pray.

4. Our relationship with God is what accomplishes the work of God on earth.

B. TODAY THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF THE CHURCH CANNOT BREAK SATANS GRIP OVER THEIR OWN COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE HAVE CHOSEN TO FIGHT SATAN RATHER THAN EXALT CHRIST.

a. The most powerful thing I can do in spiritual battle is to exalt Christ in my life.

b. That relationship will cause a still, silent ,but powerful river to flow through my life.

III. We are in a battle, But it is not a physical battle, it is a spiritual battle.

A. It can only be won through our surrender and intimate relationship with Him.

a. Its not physical strength but spiritual strength.

(Eph 6:12 KJV) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

b. Even Jesus was telling the disciples not to get their attention on the physical things they could do through the spirit but to concentrate on the spiritual.

(Luke 10:20 KJV) Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

c. He was saying the relationship with Him was the most important thing in their lives.

d. A lot of times once we are saved we forget about praying, studying the word of God, we start looking at the things we can do as Christians.

B. Spiritual Battles are won through Spiritual Faith.

1. Obtaining Spiritual weapons.

(Mat 17:19 KJV) Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

(Mat 17:20 KJV) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

(Mat 17:21 KJV) Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

a. What did Jesus say if you have the faith of a mustard seed.

b. He didn't say well act like a man, claim it in my name, because at your voice the devils tremble, he didn't say any of that, he said if you have a little bit of real faith.

c. Look what Jesus says in verse 21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

d. Jesus is saying that the way you get Faith is by praying and fasting, an intimacy with Christ.

2. Daniel, on the other hand, knew what spiritual warfare was all about.

a. He went into a three-week period of prayer and fasting.

b. This doesn't appeal to us.

c. There's no hype, no glory and no glamour in that.

A. But consider what happened in the spiritual realm when Daniel fasted and prayed.

a. He engaged in one of the most powerful spiritual battles ever recorded in Gods word.

b. Daniel was up against the Prince of Persia. The demons of hell.

c. How did Daniel engage the enemy, by shouting and screaming at him in the name of the Lord? by dispatching angels to engage the enemy? By proclaiming that he, Daniel, was a mighty warrior for the Lord?

d. No, Daniel became the opposite of war. He became a living symbol of surrender.

1. You see in our battle it is our surrender to God which defeats the enemy.

Conclusion:

We are in a battle. But it is not a physical battle, it is a spiritual battle. It can only be won through our surrender.

We have to be willing to trust God and surrender everything to Him, and we can only do that through an intimate relationship with Him.

Only then can we be still and know that He is God.

Only then can we win the Battle.