Understanding how to grow up spiritually
Session 2 Lesson 5
Growing in Intimacy with God
Introduction: Four weeks ago, we introduced this segment of our series with the truth about the fall of man from grace in the Garden of Eden and the new challenge which is the spiritual death from which God had to raise man. About two thousand years ago on the Cross of Calvary, this problem was solved when the Lord said in John 19:30 “…It is finished…” as He hung on the Cross.
Last week, we continued to see the eternal effects of this simple sentence made by the Son of God on Calvary’s Cross in our favour. We began to look at the benefits of making a decision for Christ. We saw some benefits and we continue this week to look at more benefits.
1. Man becomes an ambassador if Christ – As an ambassador of Christ; we can liken what we are now to that of a natural ambassador to any nation who enjoys diplomatic immunity and the freedom to move from nation to nation at the expense of his nation. Every time we preach the gospel, we enforce our covenant right to divine diplomatic immunity and provision. 2Cor.5:20 and Matthew 28:18-19.
2. Man becomes a king and priest of God and ordained to reign with Christ in the earth – Rev.1:5-6; Rev.5:9-10 and Rom.5:17. We receive the right to royalty in God’s family and also priesthood. As priests, we can represent God to people and intercede on behalf of people to God. As kings, we can reign in the earth with Christ to establish God’s dominion everywhere we are.
3. Man is now ordained to bear abiding fruits – Jn.15:16 and Rm.7:4. The entire purpose of God in creating man in the first place is for us to bear fruit until we grow to exercise dominion in the earth. After the fall of man due to sin, God solved the sin problem and insisted that we are to bear fruits that would abide. In this way, God has reemphasized that His reason for making us and recreating us in Christ Jesus is for us to be fruitful until we exercise dominion on earth. See Gen.1:26-28 – When we grow to the point where we reign with Christ in the earth, this mission is being accomplished.
4. Man now receives and walks in Eternal life – Jn.17:1-4 and Jn.5:24. Through the new birth experience, we now receive and walk in eternal life. Note that eternal life is not a place; it is a relationship. The experiential knowledge of Christ and God the father is what the Lord Jesus Christ defines as eternal life. The closer we get to God, the more of eternal life we walk in and demonstrate. When this happens, the expectation of the entire creation groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God is actualized.
5. Man can therefore cultivate and grow in an intimate relationship with God that beats the imagination – Rm.8:14-17; Gal.5:16 and Ps.25:9. Man enters into fellowship with God better than Adam had in the Garden of Eden where he can cultivate such an intimate relationship with God that God can actually treat him as his friend. This is the kind of experience that Abraham had when God took the time to confide in him and later referred to him as his friend. See Isa.41:8.
6. God now dwells in man and that makes Him the closest person to man – 2Cor.6:16 and Heb.8:10-12. By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, the closest person to each one who is born again now is the Holy Spirit. Whether or not you enjoy this closeness depends on your willingness to take responsibility to play your part to keep the relationship working.
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