The Divine Disconnect: Why Human Relationships Can't Define God
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Summary
In one line: "You can't build a relationship with God" — He already knows and predestined you; you can only grow in love and knowledge of Him, through Jesus, the only one with that relationship.
Key points
- "Draw near and I'll draw near" (James 4:8) is about seeing clearly, not earning salvation — "I chose you" (John 15:16); He loved us while we were sinners (Romans 5:8).
- Sin separates you from God, not God from you (Isaiah 59:1-2) — it clouds your sight. "If God needs a relationship to be good to me, He isn't God"; His goodness leads to repentance (Romans 2:4).
- Abraham was an idol worshipper when called (Joshua 24:2); the shepherd leaves the 99 for one who had no relationship (Luke 15:4). He complains of critics who clipped his words — "our righteousness is filthy rags — how can I build with filthy rags?" (Isaiah 64:6)
Transcript
Automatic captions, reflowed into paragraphs. Scripture references are highlighted; passages that sound like read scripture are set apart; people and spiritual beings are in bold.
Now, it's very important as a child of God to be to be aware of who God is.
Most people talk about God, but they don't actually know him. And that is a problem. Especially if you desire intimacy I've said this many times and I'll say it 10 billion times. It doesn't matter to me how anybody feels about it because it's the truth. You can't build a relationship with God. You can't. You can't build with God.
If God is your father indeed, how are you going to build a relationship with somebody who knows you, knows your destiny, predestined you? The only thing you can do is grow in love. You can grow in the knowledge of God. You can grow in the love of God. Do you realize the Bible doesn't tell us to build a relationship? It says to draw close. What does it mean to draw close?
When something is far from you and you come closer, what do you do? You see clearly. It is not talking about you coming close to God. Jesus said, "I called you, you didn't call me." This is not talking about salvation. This is not what this is talking about. It's talking about your capacity to have insight on who God is. So, he says, "Draw close to me and I will draw close to you." This is not in the in the concept of salvation because you didn't come close to God for God to save you.
God commended his love to us while we were still yet sinners. God loved us before we loved him. So, God has always been there. Listen to what God says, "I will never forsake you. I will never leave you. I am closer to you than a friend. I'm closer to you than a brother. Why is it that a sinner in the world that doesn't know Jesus?
The moment they repent, God already heard them and forgave them. I thought God doesn't listen to sinners. How did he hear him? It's because God has never been far from anybody, but our sin. Listen, if you read the book of Jeremiah, the book of Jeremiah says it this way. "My hand is not short to deliver, nor my ears dull to hear, but your sins have separated you from me, not me from you.
You from me." So, when we sin, we cloud our ability to see God. Not that God is not present. I don't know if I'm speaking to somebody. So, the issue is we have people who are trying to use the human concept of a relationship with an eternal God. If you need to build a relationship with God, it means God doesn't know you.
He knows my coming in, my laying down. He knows my rising up. Actually, says it, he knows my coming in and my going out, my rising up and my laying down. He knows everything about me. Where can I run from your presence? So, if God knows all these things about me and he still chose me, it means that he's God. But if God needs a relationship with me in order to be good to me, then he is not God.
Because the goodness of God brings men to repentance. So, I need to see God's goodness. That's what changes me. Do you realize when God called Abraham to follow him, Abraham was worshipping idols. He was an idol worshipper. That's why God told him, "Come out of your father's house. I'll come out of your people and go on to a land I will show you. I am God. You see what you are looking for? Here I am." Notice even people going the wrong way, if God wants you, he still gets you.
He will leave the 99 sheep to go after one. But that one is leaving him because he has no relationship. So, why is he going for him? You know, you just have to understand that we are reconciled and I've said this a million times. Some idiot somewhere took my video, cut it up and made it and said that, "You know, he's lying to you. You you need a relationship with God." Yet the whole time I'm saying that you cannot have a relationship with God without Jesus because Jesus is the only one that has a relationship with God. That is why you cannot come to God without Jesus. God doesn't care about what we can do.
Our righteousness is filthy rags. So, how can I build with filthy rags?