Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-21; John 14:8-17 “Intimacy with God”

Good morning everyone. Great to see all of you here on Pentecost Sunday…a very special and holy day in the Christian church down through the ages. It’s also confirmation Sunday here at Apostles as we recognize the faith development of these 11 young people. So, it’s a big day with great meaning and I’m excited since this is my first confirmation worship with all of you.

To begin my time with you I want to first ask you a question: “Do you recall a time when you wanted to take a relationship with someone to a level deeper and they wouldn’t go there with you?”

Adults, you may have had someone in high school or college and you were falling for them and they weren’t falling for you. They were polite, they were nice to you but they were distant.

Parents with adult children, you may have made some mistakes in the past and now that you’re older, you’re trying to go deeper with your kids. You don’t want to simply celebrate the holidays together or simply send cards and emails to each other. You want to connect to the degree that you are like best friends and your transparent. No matter how hard you try…they won’t let you in.

Husbands and wives…perhaps you have felt that way. Things used to be great and their was an intimacy where you felt a closeness to your wife or husband. You hung out, watched movies and talked about everything. But over time, things have changed. Kids came along. Your schedule got even busier. Now, at home, you’re polite with each other but that closeness is gone. He does his thing; she does her thing. You know you want more in the relationship like they way you felt at the beginning… and you try to take it to a deeper level. But it’s just not happening. At times you just feel caught in a rut and even want to give up.

Have you ever been in a relationship that you wanted to go deeper than it actually ever goes? It’s frustrating because there is nothing you can do to make a relationship where you are so comfortable, so transparent where you relax and simply enjoy being with them.

As I was preparing for today, my goal was simply this: that you believe in your mind and your heart that God desires to be in an intimate relationship with you.

In both the Old and New Testament in the Bible, God makes attempt after attempt to be in relationship with his creation. Yet, time and time again, creation stiff-arms Him. It’s polite, kind, casually respectful but always keeping God at a comfortable distance. It refuses to go to the level of relationship that God desires with his creation.

God is like a father in the story of the prodigal Son. Father loves the son and the son says “I’m going to leave and go my own thing”. Father waits and waits for the son since he loves him.

God is like a shepherd and the sheep always meander off doing their own thing and it breaks the shepherd’s heart.

In the Garden of Eden, we learn of how Adam and Eve turned their backs on God and God is wandering, looking for his prized creation to restore the relationship.

The Bible is clear from cover to cover in that your Heavenly Father desires a relationship with you that is not casual. Not based only on respect. Not based only on a holiday. Not based on a set of rules. Not based on an environment where you worship and sit in rows. Your Heavenly Father desires a relationship that is marked by intimacy. I’m going to show you how this truth, this good news, was present on that first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit rested on the disciples.

In the book of Acts, chapter 2, the disciples are in Jerusalem for an annual harvest festival in Jerusalem. Jesus has just ascended into heaven and their thinking to each other “Now what do we do?” They were wanted men for following Jesus, an outlaw who had been killed. We read that they were in an upper room which is historically believed to be the same upper room where they gathered with Jesus for the Last Supper.

In that room, suddenly there was a violent wind from heaven that filled the entire house. Bible says that divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. People heard this commotion and likely ran to the house. They then heard the disciples and other Christ-followers speaking in different languages. They were amazed and wondered what was happening. Yet others scoffed and said, “These men are simply drunk.”

Then Peter, Jesus’ closest disciple, the one who tried to walk on water. The one who betrayed Jesus three times. The one who Jesus said he would build his church on. Peter, opened his mouth and preached the first Christian sermon.

“In the last days it will be, God declares; that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophecy. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my spirit.” God is saying, “I’m taking the initiative. I sent my Son to die for your sin. Now, I long for such an intimate relationship with you that I am sending me spirit upon all people.”

What we encounter here is an amazing truth. That the God you and I refer to as Father. The God who has all the power in the world. The God who could say “I can make you obey me”, “I can make you fear me”. “But, I can’t make you love me.”

What we have done throughout Christianity and in our lives, is that we prefer something different. Rather than a relationship with God marked by intimacy; we’ve opted for religion. Religion is our response to God where we treat God respectfully, not intimately.

Religion is all about a formula. Go to church this many times-check. Especially go to church on Christmas and Easter-check. Read your Bible-check. Pray before a meal- check. Get confirmed and have your group photo hanging somewhere in the church- check.

Thing is, when you stay religious long enough and keep score on a checklist of doing the right things…you become judgmental. You’ll become critical of others…how they live since they aren’t living they way they should. You’ll become skeptical of change in the church because that’s the way it’s always been done so it’s the right way.

Your Heavenly Father doesn’t care about a checklist; God cares about you. Your interests, your concerns, your relationships, your life. I want to give you three things that you can do to develop your intimacy with God and these two things are true for all of our relationships.

First, you need to give God time. Unrushed, unstructured time. Put everything aside, put down your phone and simply be with God.

Second and as a parent, this second thing has been huge in how my kids regard God. Transparency. Be honest with God. Share what you’re really feeling. We tend to feel that we need to talk to God a certain way using a certain formula. You don’t use formula’s at home, “Good morning wonderful wife. Thank you for breakfast.” Do away with those canned, memorized prayers. Tell God when you’re mad, when you’re frustrated with things, when lust is overpowering you. Don’t be polite; pour out your heart. When they movers were loading the semi-trailer outside our house, our son Ben was mad that we were moving away. So, I sat with him in the backyard and he said he was mad at God. I said, “I can tell your mad. Tell God your mad.” “What?” “Go ahead. Tell God your mad that we’re moving.” Ben than told God what he was mad about…leaving his friends, leaving his school, that he didn’t know where the movers put all his stuff. As a parent, I saw his connection with God grow even stronger because in that moment, he regarded God as though He was sitting right next to him.

That is what God wants with you…an intimate relationship because God loves you. God has always made the first move and on Pentecost, God sent his Holy Spirit to change the world. God did everything he can do and he wants you to not just be respectful, to show up and sit in a row, but to give him time and be transparent with him…out of your love for him. He has done everything he can do to be in an intimate relationship with you.

The glory of Pentecost with the tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit and the message of Christ that would go out into the world is inspiring. The message that God wants an intimate relationship with all of his creation.

For you, it comes down to two things: time for, and transparency with, God.

Rather than stiff-arm God, welcome him into your life. Don’t bother being religious with a checklist of things you think you should do. Just be with God and cherish the goodness, the direction and the blessings of God on your life.

Why? Because God love you. Amen.