Week 20 Keep God Close
How do you keep the Creator of all things close?
“You are as close to God as you choose to be.”
Rick Warren
Passage
1It is good to give thanks to the Lord And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night,
3With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, With resounding music upon the lyre.
4For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
5How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep.
Psalm 92:1–5 (NASB95)
Background
Quote-Richard Duane Warren (born January 28, 1954) is an American Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, a megachurch in Lake Forest, California. Since 2022. Warren was born in San Jose, California, the son of Jimmy and Dot Warren. His father was a Baptist minister, his mother a high-school librarian. He was raised in Ukiah, California, and graduated from Ukiah High School in 1972, where he founded the first Christian club on the school's campus.
He studied at California Baptist University in Riverside, California and earned a Bachelor of Arts, then he studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas and earned a Master of Divinity in 1979. He also studied at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California and earned a Doctor of Ministry.
Warren says he was called to full-time ministry when he was a 19-year-old. In November 1973, he and a friend skipped classes and drove 350 miles to hear W. A. Criswell preach at the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco. Warren waited afterwards to shake hands with Criswell, who focused on Warren, stating, "I feel led to lay hands on you and pray for you!"
Passage-The genre of Psalms is Songs and Poetry of all kinds. It is written by multiple authors; David wrote 73, Asaph wrote 12, the sons of Korah wrote 9, Solomon wrote 3, Ethan, and Moses each wrote one (Ps. 90), and 51 of the Psalms are anonymous. They were written over the span of approximately 900 years (Beginning at the time of Moses 1440 B.C. and through the captivity in 586 B.C.).
The Psalms include praises of joy, laments, blessings, and thanksgivings. They are directed at God and they help us to express and communicate ourselves to Him. We read about the Psalmist’s emotions from one extreme to another, from praising, delighting in and worshiping God with fervor, to repentance and crying out to Him in despair. Written by Jay Smith, Biblehub.com
Opening Statement
We are told we are to love and be kind to other people to show that we are thankful for what God has done for us. But first we must be loving and kind to ourselves.
Ask: How do we keep people close?
Point: We reach out to them and involve them in our lives.
Ask: What does it look like to “reach out” to God and “involve Him in our lives?”
Point: This may be very different for some but there are common points to all. Please read the following:
14The Lord sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time.
16You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.
18The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalm 145:14–18 (NASB95)
Ask: How do we call upon the Lord in truth?
Point: Through private prayer from the heart between each of us and God. Please Read the following:
5“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:5–8 (NASB95)
Ask: Where is truth in that format given to us by Jesus?
Point: Truth is in the one on one nature behind closed doors where no one else sees so we can be brutally open and honest with God. Please read the following:
6When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.”
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:6–7 (NASB95)
Ask: If God already knows the truth in my heart why do I need to privately and truthfully pray to Him?
Point: Because confession is good for the soul. Please read the following:
8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
Romans 10:8–11 (NASB95)
Ask: Why privately behind closed doors do this?
Point: As a solid foundation and with full disclosure to God one on one it becomes a freeing experience even just between us and God.
Ask: If the goal is to purposefully draw near to God, how does this do that?
Point: It becomes an invitation to Him to illuminate the things He sees each of us needs to work on instead of what we think we need to work on. Please read the following:
19‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
Revelation 3:19–22 (NASB95)
Ask: What are we overcoming if we honestly and truthfully pray privately to God?
Point: Our pride. We humble ourselves before God admitting His ways are better than ours.
Ask: How do we know we are truly being honest with God?
Point: We are willing to listen, obey, and change what God reveals to us. Please read the following:
6But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:6–8 (NASB95)
Ask: After the storm in the good times I don’t need God so why do I want Him close if that causes so much change and turmoil in my life?
Point: Because following the ways of the flesh, Man’s ways do not build up the temple of God in the Kingdom of God. Please read the following:
16Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;
1 Corinthians 3:16–19 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
Re-read today’s passage when you have time. Notice it is giving thanks for what God has done. It praises Him. It is grateful for what He has made, not what Man has made or done. People typically act in their own best interests helping others only when it aligns with those personal best interests. The Body of Christ, the Church Universal is taught and led to help others because God wants His children to look out for one another, not their own personal interests. In so doing we demonstrate we believe, truly believe His ways are better, right, and true.