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Take your bible out and turn with me to Galatians the 4^th Chapter. Every Summer we like to break from our topical sermon series and go to a specific book and look at it from beginning to end. Galatians is a letter written by a man named Paul to the churches in Galatia.

I encourage you to read Galatians once a week. It is only 6 chapters. You could read a chapter per day or the whole book in one setting (30min.) Each time you read and each Sunday you will get a fresh impartation from God’s living bread, the Bible. His Word will go forth in your life bringing abundant Life and Hope.

This is PromiseLand Church. Last week, I talked about why that name is important. We believe Paul’s message in Galatians 3… that we are standing on the same PROMISE that God gave Abraham 4000 years ago. Even though some of our life details are not the way we want them to be, we are living in the LAND of PROMISE. So, we invite ANYONE who wants to live in the God’s Promises to join us. Become a family member here at PromiseLand San Marcos. We are a community that worships together, parties together, mourns together, and builds the Kingdom together. All under the core belief that we are God’s children, that he LOVES his kids, that he saves us from the turmoil of this life and sets us up for eternity.

Chapter 4 of Galatians covers two keys words of our mission statement:

We exist to Bring People into an Intimate Relationship with Jesus Christ and Each Other.

Galatians 4 talks about 2 words in our mission: Intimate Relationship.

Galatians 4:1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

This is a coming of age. You have gone from some with potential to someone with inheritance.  Paul writes to us in this book to remind us of the truth of the Good News.  We turn things back to the legal, law so easily. Paul wants us to remember that our motivation to work should be fueled by our passion for God and come from the position of son instead of slave.

If you are Intimate with God you can say these 4 things:

1. If I Am Intimate with God, We talk A Lot

I talk to my wife all the time. Why? Because we are intimate. We are all up in each others business. All the time. We love to know what each other is doing. (that is normal) We like help from each other. We like to hang out together. We like to know what was good or bad about our day.

The closer you get to God, the more you talk. If you want to get closer to God, talk to him more often.

If this is a new concept to you, please go back to our podcast and get the sermon series “Talking to God” from earlier this year. Whole sermon series on how to talk to God.

2. If I Am Intimate with God, I Am Familiar With God

I know details about God. I know how and why God does things. To know all about the data and details.  To know as much as possible.  Always wanting to know more.  A hunger for more.

We find all the knowledge we need of God in his written word.

2 Peter 1:2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

We all want peace in our life. Peter says if you want peace, you need to get to know God. The more you know God, the more peace and Grace you have!
Men, if we can’t figure out women, we aren’t going to figure out God. BUT we can pursue our wife to know her more (and get counseling). We can do the same with God.

When we are intimately familiar with someone, we start taking on their traits.  We start talking in that accent.

As a child of God we start loving and working just like God.

BECAUSE WE ARE. Not because we WANT TO BECOME.  Because we are his kids we act like him, love like him, work like him.

3.  If I Am Intimate with God, I Am Secure With God 

I’m not worried about my relationship with Erica. We are good. We are tight.

I’m not faithful to my wife because of the laws of marriage. When a nice looking girl walks by, I don’t follow after her or get her number. I don’t do that because it is against the rules of my marriage and if I did that I would be divorced. Erica has told me multiple times that if I were to do that he would hit me with multiple bats, suitcases, machetes.

BUT that is not why I don’t look at other girls or chase after them. I don’t because I am in love with Erica. My intimacy with her has made me secure with her.

Galatians 4:8 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?

I’m loyal to God. I don’t run after other lovers or other gods.

4.  I Really, Really Like God A Lot 

Intimate relationships have nice benefits. Know what I’m saying?

Emotional benefit. Physical benefits.

This is the part of intimacy in which most are familiar.  Without a doubt, to be intimate means to be affectionate and loving.  Song of Solomon reveals the potential of affectionate love.

“I am not these things.” That is why WE are here!

“How much more are you these things now, then when you first attended PSM?”

Intimacy does not just happen.  It is not an emotion.  Jesus gave the disciples distinct instruction before His ascension.

Intimacy is a beautiful baby of systematic discipline.  That doesn’t sound very romantic or Hollywood.  However, I believe many people are mistaken when they think that they will have a relationship with God by following after a mythical religious experience.

Just as intimacy with my spouse comes after vulnerability, faith, work, perseverance, and romance so does my intimacy with God.  Invest. Sow seed. Reap…

Let’s pray.