If you look at the sun, s, u, n too long you lose the ability to see, but if you look at the Son, S, O, N long enough you will truly see.  We cannot know who we are and what life is about without knowing the creator of it.  Mankind different than all other creation was made in the very image of God, with the sole purpose of being in fellowship with Him.  Until we know God intimately we are living blind.  If we are going to experience what life was intended to be we must go back to the way it was in the beginning.

This new series is entitled Intimacy, with Christ revealing "In To Me, You See!"  We should expect to grow in understanding our identity and learn to live in an abiding unceasing, intimate relationship with Jesus.  We will be reading through the writings of John, who was called the beloved of the Lord, for he was closest to him, and wrote his books from a deeply intimate place.  Let's now dive into John chapter 1.

John 1:1-5 NLT

1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He existed in the beginning with God. 3God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

If you are married, do you remember the beginning, when you first fell in love with your spouse?  Maybe you are like me, that at that time nothing else really mattered but spending time with her, time disappeared, and all I did was think, and breathe Loraine. Falling in love is such a beautiful experience, staying in love is the difficulty.  Having kids, being busy with work, dealing with finances, all this tends to dampen the passion of when we first fell in love.  We see in Revelations 2:4 the call to return to our first love, it is not just a word to the church of Ephesus, it is a word to all whose love has become lukewarm.

Do you remember the beginning of your relationship with God, when He revealed Himself to you? I remember when I was radically born again, I felt alive for the first time, everything changed. Now I had this overwhelming desire to know God, so I dug into the Word and I felt I wasn't reading it, but it was reading me. The bible literally is alive, a person, as we see in the book of John 1.  

The Word always existed, and all things were created through Him. Life cannot be known apart from Him and whatever one thinks they know is nothing but deception, for one cannot see in the dark. Until we are born again, we are blind! The Word brings Light and Life!

We now learn about John and the Word becoming Flesh, in the person of Jesus.  John's purpose was to prepare the way, which he did by preaching repentance and having it symbolized through the baptism of water.  Yet, he promised that there is one coming greater than he, who will baptize with the Spirit and Fire.  Jesus will transition the age from the law under Moses to the law of grace and truth under Him.  He will make it possible to return to the garden and experience once again the fullness of God.

Once the ministry of Jesus began, He called others to follow Him.  To receive Jesus goes beyond just believing in Him.  It is like when you find the person you want to marry, you cannot just believe it, you got to act on it, you must approach the person and begin a relationship of discovering one another, eventually leading to the seal of commitment being marriage, where the two now become one.  Life is no longer lived alone but in partnership with another.  There is no difference in receiving Jesus we are to become one with Him.  He is the head though, we are to follow Him, not He follows us.  Yet, in following Him, all of our true desires will be met, our God-given destiny will be lived out.

I hope you are ready to go on this journey with me of deeper intimacy with Christ.  Start by making sure you are born again, and secondly answering the call to follow Him.

'with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] by faith. ‘  Galatians 3:24

What is the true solution to the problem called sin?

'For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. ‘  Ephesians 2:8-10

It is that simple, by grace through faith we are saved if works are added then the equation is wrong and the solution is not found.

When the answer to the problem of sin is discovered we know it because fellowship with God is restored.

'And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ]. ‘  Galatians 4:6-7

Back to the Garden

Knowledge of God without a relationship with God produces nothing but dead works.  
We are not called to pick from the tree of knowledge of good and evil but to walk in the Garden and pick from the tree of life.

We must return to innocence, wipe the board clean, like Paul count all our knowledge as dung. 

'But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him—a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ, ‘  Philippians 3:8

We need to take off our old filthy rags and put on new garments.  

'For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values]. There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. 'Galatians 3:27-28

Who would want to put on old dirty clothes when they have been given new clean ones?  
'Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 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? You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. ‘Galatians 4:8-10

Our ultimate desire as parents should be to see our children mature well where they can find success in life.  As spiritual parents, our ultimate desire should be to see Christ formed in those we lead.  

'Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. ‘Galatians 4:19

We desire our spiritual children to produce the fruit of the Spirit and not works of the flesh.  Ishmael was the result of Abraham not trusting God and producing a child of the flesh.  Isaac was the result of waiting on the promise of God and he was born supernaturally.

'The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. ‘Galatians 4:22-26

We can only walk with God who is a Spirit by the Spirit, which is not possible naturally only supernaturally.

Let us repent and drive out our Ishmael's and choose from henceforth to only produce Isaac's.

“Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.’ Galatians 4:30-31

The Charge:  
If you are not enjoying fellowship with God, wipe the board clean, and accept the simple truth, that through grace by faith you are saved, and repent of any works you have added to the equation.

​Paul addressed some major Issues throughout his letter to the Corinthians in the final chapter he doesn't have one major theme but rather some reminders and final instructions.

Taking Collections  (vs. 1-4)
-  Come together on the first day of the week to take collections. 
-  It is best to have people set some money aside week by week rather than trying to 
   take a huge collection all at once.
-  Giving towards the needs of Jews is a way to bridge the gap for Gentiles.

Travel Plans  (vs. 5-12)
-  It is unwise to travel when it is dangerous unless the Lord says likewise.
-  We can make our plans but God orders our steps.
-  We will not always get to do what we would prefer.
-  Expect wide doors to open with the opportunity for effective ministry.
-  We are to assure that those we send out are treated in a respectful manner no 
   matter their age, cultural background, or ministerial experience.
-  When there are issues such as jealousy and strife it may be best to say no to an 
   invitation.

Final Exhortations (vs. 13-18)
-  Be alert (Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour).
-  Stand firm in the faith (Put on the full armor of God).
-  Be courageous (do not fear or be afraid).
-  Be Strong (in the Lord and the power of His might).
-  Your action must be done in love (1 Cor. 13).

First impressions are very important but our final words of a conversation or letter are usually what is remembered the most.  So we must take our time, pray, receive wisdom from the Lord and therefore make choice words that leave an impact.  Great leadership is not the ability to draw a crowd but the enablement to move people to do the right thing.

The Corinthians were very carnal and Paul's mission was to help them turn from their stinking thinking, replacing it with truth, marked with the beauty of the nature of His love.  

When one of our kids smells we tell them to hit the bathroom.  When a Christian is carnal we need to tell them to hit the prayer room.  The flesh is to be flushed by the power of the Holy Spirit, as it says in Romans 8:13.  We have no excuses for our behavior, for Romans 8:9 says we are not controlled by the flesh but by the Spirit.  What we feed is what will lead.  We are what we eat!  So if we want to live godly we must feed our spirit.  The Spirit grows in us through the Truth that is why John 4:24 says "God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him, must do so in Spirit and in Truth.  We can be saved but live like we are unsaved by neglecting our spiritual hunger for Truth.  Let us not be Carnal Christians like the Corinthians but Spiritual Beings bearing the image of Christ.

Paul goes from a trial in court to a trial in the Seas.  On his way to Rome as a prisoner, Paul is treated with favor by the commander in charge but when he gives warning that they will be shipwrecked and die if they continue, the crew disregards and continues ahead.

Many of the trials we face in life as believers are not our own doing.  Some disasters cannot be avoided because the people close to us will not heed our warnings.  The one thing we can trust is that no matter what we go through the Lord will be with us.  We can stand on the promises God has given us that though they tarry due to the disobedience of others as long as we remain faithful God will make a way to bring them to pass.

As storms hit, and the ship was battered, the crew finally admits that Paul was right but at this point, they are in the middle of the Sea and there is no turning back.  Paul tells them that the ship will go under, but none of them will lose their lives.  For an angel of the Lord had appeared to Paul telling him to take courage, be not afraid, for he must appear before Caesar.  After Paul gave them that word, they were encouraged and ate food so they could gain the strength needed to endure the storm, shipwreck, and survival to reach land.

God gives mercy, though disaster may come, as long as we turn to Him what we go through does not have to be devastating.  We can avoid so much if we obey from the beginning but even after we get ourselves in a jam if we can just cry out to God, He will reach out His hand and give mercy.  We will still suffer from the consequences of our choice to be independent but the suffering will be reduced when we do finally humble ourselves and seek Him.

It was a custom that prisoners would be killed in a situation like this because if they escaped then the guards would be killed.  Yet, Paul had favor with the commander and the prisoners were spared, they all made it to land safely, as Paul had spoken it was done.

As long as we walk with the Lord even when everyone seems to be against us the Lord will grant favor to us with someone that will be used to keep us safe and help us along the way towards the fulfillment of His will.  No matter the degree of the storm and the shipwreck that follows as long as we trust in the Lord we will survive it.