ARE YOU TIGHT WITH GOD

Titus 1:16 (KJV 1900)

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

(NIV) They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. 

If you were asked how well you know a person, there are several ways you could respond. You could say…“I only have a speaking acquaintance with him.” You could also say…”I have known him for several years, but I never really got to know him well.” Or, you could say…”I know him personally, and we are very close.” Your answer is predicated on the time you took to have a personal relationship with the person in question. Let’s face it. You can know a person for many years and still not know much about what makes them tick. But the opposite is also true. You can know a person so well that you either LIKE or DISLIKE them.

In the most basic sense, any relationship is a connection between two or more people or groups of people. The connections we have are influenced by the behaviors of the people in our sphere. We choose our connections based on compatibility. Maybe we like the same things. Maybe we both share the same challenges. Or maybe we like to surround ourselves with people who keep us on track.

There are all kinds of relationships. For instance… There are romantic relationships based on emotional and physical intimacy. There are family relationships based on blood ties and the nurturing and support it provides. There are friendships built on mutual trust and shared interests. There are professional relationships necessary for collaboration, communication, and teamwork on our jobs. Regardless of the type, it takes effort, respect, and effective communication to maintain the health of a relationship.

By now you may have noticed that I did not mention the most important relationship of all…your spiritual connection with God through Jesus Christ. And yet, it is THIS relationship that is the most important.

Let’s look for a minute at the relationship of the Jews with God. In our text, Paul speaks of the Jews who had a perceived relationship with God, but it was built on man-made laws and rituals…what was clean and what was unclean. These arrogant Jews claimed to be God’s people, but with superior holiness; yet they were denying God by their evil deeds and bringing dishonor among the Gentiles Believers. The Jewish converts to Christianity were also struggling with the accusations that if they did not follow the old laws, they were condemned.

Let me put a bookmark here and take a side trip. It’s amazing how the threat of the loss of power drives men and women to pull out all the stops in an attempt to remain in control. It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the U.S. House and Senate seats or Sadducees and Pharisees. Men driven by power alone are apt to say and do anything rather than admit they are wrong, if that’s what it takes to keep their position and power. We have a tendency to think this desire for dominance is a new thing, but this sin has been around for a long time…ever since Adam and Eve thought they could become powerful through disobedience.

Relationships must be built on honesty and truth if they are to flourish. A little self-examination today will reveal just how healthy a relationship you have with the One who sits high and looks low. When we have a close relationship with someone we might say that we are tight with them. So let me ask you a question. ARE YOU TIGHT WITH GOD?

I also have a few more questions for you today.

First, how intimate is your relationship with God?

We admit that we can know someone for years and never be personally acquainted. The Jews of antiquity knew God for centuries and yet they knew less of Him than their Jewish converts to Christianity. Does the same hold true of our relationship with God?

Job said in Job 36:26 God is great, and we know him not, . Job realized that there is a great gap between what we think we know about God and what little we actually do know.

How do we get to know God? We certainly don’t do it by occasionally coming to church. That kind of relationship can only be peripheral or marginal. Sadly, some people have a more intimate relationship with their favorite team. No wonder they shout at the games, but they sit “quiet” in church. An intimate relationship should elicit some favorable reaction, at least on occasion. *

· We love our spouses, so we hold hands and kiss them goodnight or at least we should.

· We love our children, so we tuck them in at night and pray with them.

· We love our friends, so we invite them into our homes.

We should have the same intimate relationship with God. He should be on our minds every day and on our lips every night before we slumber. And we certainly ought to invite Him into our homes. And when it comes to communicating with God through prayer, we should be able to ascertain or hear His reply…through our deep, discerning knowledge of His true character. And that should drum up a “Hallelujah” on occasion. *

I’m sometimes frustrated by how much priming it takes to get some believers to openly demonstrate their love for the LORD. If they’re new at this thing called “faith”, I get it. But what of those who have professed belief for many years and still can’t lift their hands or say AMEN. Something is wrong when we SIT on our SALVATION and don’t feel guilty about it. Some will say, “Pastor, it don’t take all that!” To which I will reply, “It took all that at Calvary…and MORE!”

· When the Hebrews came through the Red Sea, Miriam and the other women sang and danced.

· When the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, the Israelites shouted for joy.

· When David brough the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, he danced and shouted for joy.

Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of the darkness into His marvelous light? He should see our visible gratitude for all that He has done for us. Somebody should say AMEN if you can.

How intimate is your relationship with God?

The second question you need to answer is: How godly is your lifestyle?

We can’t claim to KNOW GOD and then live whatever way we want. That’s what the Jews of antiquity did. They set their own rules and then demanded that everyone live by them. That’s okay, as long as the rules are righteous! *

When I was growing up, my parents set the rules of the house. I watched them and their habits. And I developed some of their traits. One thing my father taught me was to work for what you want. But then, I had a good role model. For he worked to provide for us.

Well…GOD is our FATHER. And once we are well acquainted with HIS character, we should desire to be LIKE Him. A person who claims to talk to God and walk with God should desire to be like Him. If we know God well enough, our conversations, our thoughts, and our attitudes will be godly.

When Believers get together, we should want to talk about God and his goodness toward us. But words alone do not make us Believers. Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16).

So, the first question is ‘Do you have an intimate relationship with God?’, and the second question is ‘Do your actions reflect His character?’.

How godly is your lifestyle?

But my third question is this: Are you willing to sacrifice for God?

That’s where we lose so many would-be saints. That’s where we lost the Jewish hierarchy of antiquity who didn’t want to admit that God had all power. They couldn’t bring themselves to relinquish their self-made rules and follow Christ.

The sacrifices God requires of us can take on many forms. Obedience is how we prove our loyalty to Him and our willingness to completely obey Him. In 1 Samuel 15:22, the Word of God says, “to obey is better than sacrifice”. I’m reminded of Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. As soon as Abraham proved his loyalty, God stopped him, because it wasn’t the sacrifice of Isaac that God wanted…It was Abraham’s sacrifice of his complete loyalty to God.

And that’s what God desires from us. He wants us to put HIM first. He doesn’t want a blood sacrifice…that was done once and for all through Christ on Calvary. But God does call for us to sacrifice our time, our talents, our energy, and our finances to grow His kingdom on earth. We are God’s arms and legs. We are God’s voice in the wilderness. We are God’s fuel for the spread of the Gospel. One preacher (Rev. Polen) said that “When we put God first, we put our personal comforts and pleasures in proper perspective.”

Sacrifice can be uncomfortable, uneasy and even unnerving.

· You don’t want to give up time for the ministry, but you know it’s the right thing to do.

· You don’t want to skip your Wednesday club meeting so you can go to bible study, but it’s the right thing to do.

· You don’t want to skip a week at the nail salon so you can support the food bank, but you know you should.

· You don’t want to give that special offering for the church moving fund or building fund as most of you know it, but you know you should.

· You don’t care about the homeless, but you know you should.

· You don’t always want to talk to the single mom next to you in the pew or shake the hand of someone who is a hater, but God wants you to!

It’s all about sacrifice…putting God ahead of our own wants, our own desires, and our own comfortable feelings. Abraham must have felt a shout in his soul when he heard the angel of the LORD say, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad.” (Gen. 22:12) Wouldn’t it be just as wonderful if God could say of every one of us, “I know that you love Me, because you are withholding nothing from Me.”

Are you willing to sacrifice for God?

So how tight are you with God? Can you reach Him instantly, or do you need to be primed first with a warm-up prayer period? God’s saints in the house will tell you that you’d better STAY prayed up, because you never know when you’re going to need God in a FLASH. When Peter was drowning, he only had time to say a three-word prayer, “Lord, save me!” Peter knew he could trust his Savior or he wouldn’t have gotten in the stormy sea to begin with.

This sermon is not about God’s relationship with us. He’s loves us. It’s about OUR relationship with God. We can count on HIM…but can He count on us? Can God count on us to… Be more godly.

To attend church and bible study more regularly. Give more freely. Trust more whole-heartedly. Can he count us to Forgive more readily. Pray more earnestly. Study more diligently. Love more fervently. Hope more passionately. And celebrate more openly.

This journey we are on is a two-way street. We profess that we know God. But in our “works”, do we deny Him?

Matthew 15:8(TLB)  These people say they honor me, but their hearts are far away. 

How intimate is your relationship with God?

How godly is your lifestyle?

Are you willing to sacrifice for God?