It's not about religion

It’s not about Religion, It’s about a _______________.

Relationship with Jesus Christ.

We’ve heard this 1000 times.

Incomplete.

It’s about a Right Relationship with Jesus Christ.

There are many different types of relationships.

Martye is my wife. Hug, Kiss, I love you before I go to work.

Danny is my friend. We don’t hug and kiss.

How you define your relationship with Christ is a bid deal.

If you miss the mark on what God says about your relationship with Himself, at the least you will miss out on the fullness of Joy and Peace the he has for you right now.

At the worst, you will be eternally separated from God in a place called Hell.

God is not looking for cookie cutter Christians.

My relationship with Christ is not going be the exact same as your relationship with Him. Because we are different people.

I’ve known married couples that didn’t sleep in the same room.

That seems weird to me, but that doesn’t make it wrong. It worked for them.

Have you seen the youtube videos of husband vs wife pranks?

That won’t fly in my house. Practical Jokes is not one of my wife’s love languages.

The point is that your individual relationship with Christ will be unique to you.

Its a personal relationship.

That said, we need to look as the Word to understand the general parameters of that relationship; meaning weather you live in Albuquerque, or Arkansas, you’re still in the US, but it’s helpful to know where the boarders.

So how did the writers of the New Testament define their relationship with Jesus?

Romans 1:1 NASB95

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

Philip

Philippians 1:1 NASB95

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

Titus 1:1 NASB95

Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

There is a pattern here.

James 1:1 NASB95

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

What do you think 1st Peter says? Peter, .....

2 Peter 1:1 NASB95

Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

Jude 1 NASB95

Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

Revelation 1:1 NASB95

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

What is a Bond servant?

Exodus 21:5–6 NASB95

“But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

Exodus 25:5–6 NASB95

rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

We are made free by Christ.

The apostles were

John 8:36 NASB95

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Galatians 5:1 NASB95

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Becoming a Bond Servant.

Paul talks about being completely sold out to Christ

Galatians 2:20 NASB95

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

So What are the Characters of being a bond servant of Christ?

A Bond Servant: Knows Christ, Loves Christ, Obeys Christ and, Trusts Christ

Knows Christ, Loves Christ, Obeys Christ and, Trusts Christ

Adrian Rogers might have said

Lean, Love, Listen to, and Lean on Christ

Loves Christ, Obeys Christ and, Trusts Christ

Obeys Christ and, Trusts Christ

Learn: You cannot serve someone you don’t know

I’ve know people that met their spouse in Kindergarten, became HS Sweethearts, then got married.

Trusts Christ

Others, the only thing you knew was “She’s pretty and and good kisser. She’s the one.”

Similarly, Some of you grew up in Church, learned of Jesus, then got saved.

Others, all you knew is you were broken and missing something. Someone told you about a man named Jesus that was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for you your sins and was raised from the dead.

John 10:14 NASB95

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,

John 10:14 NASB95

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,

Martye and I have been married

Just like we continue to know our wives after we get married, we are to continue to learn more about who Christ is until we come into his presence.

Bond Servants Love Jesus

Three most common Greek words for love in the NT

Phileo: A companionable love.

Eros: A passionate love.

Saturday night, candle lit dinner, a little music.

Agape: Selfless love.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 NASB95

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

1 Corinthians

Matthew 22:37 NASB95

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

Matthew 22:

A Bond Servant of Christ Obeys Him

I Supervise 24 people. My Job is to support, lead, and encourage them to do their job, and to correct them when they don’t. I’ve had bosses that didn’t think you could have a friendly relationship with the people that supervise them.

John 14:21 NASB95

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

1 John 2:3 NASB95

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

Romans 1:5 NASB95

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,

Romans 1:

Obedience is where people will cry out: Here comes all the rules!!!

On their birthdays, we would alway ask our kids what they wanted so we could give them a gift they would enjoy

We didn’t get them what they wanted so that they would love us. Or we didn’t do it to try to

Convince everyone else we love our kids.

. Or even to try and convince them that we loved them.

We love our kids and wanted to give them a gift as a expression of our love.

Romans 5:8 NASB95

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

If you love Christ, the way to demonstrate that love is to obey what he told us.

5 love languages.

Obedience is Christ’s love language.

Feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the widow.

A Bond Servant will trust in Christ

Psalm 9:10 NASB95

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Romans 15:13 NASB95

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Peter because of fear, denied Christ 3 times.

Peter, because of fear and lacking in trust denied Christ three times. But, Christian tradition tells us that he was faced with the choice of denying Jesus or being crucified. Not only did he not deny his savior, but asked to be crucified upside down because he didn't’ feel worthy.

Paul said in

Philippians 1:21 NASB95

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philipians

We start our relationship with Christ by trusting him with salvation, but as that relationship grows, we learn to trust him with our relationships, our finances, and ultimately unto death.

are you in your relationship with Christ?

Where are you in your relationship with Christ?