A Relationship With God

Introduction

One of the most important things any person will ever have in their lives is a real vital and growing relationship with God. A relationship with God is foundational and fundamental. Of all the relationships you may have, none are as important and essential to our welfare as our relationship with God. If there is no relationship with God, life is fleeting at best. If there is no relationship with God, life is empty, If there is no relationship with God life has no purpose, If there is no relationship with God there is no present meaning of life and there is no hope for the life to come. Living is merely existing without an relationship with God.

God desires to have a real relationship with us. A relationship that is active, vibrant, growing, and satisfying. Sadly today many people are not interested in a relationship with God they would rather have an arrangement with God. They want a God who is a good luck charm, A God who is a celestial bell boy who panders to their every whim. I feel like I have to warn you that God is not interested in our “arrangements.” He is calling someone here today to have a real relationship with him. The Scripture says “Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap.” I beg you in the Holy Ghost not to settle for an arrangement with God, but establish a real relationship with God. In this passage we will discover the characteristics of a real relationship with God and apply these markers to our own lives.

A. A Listening Relationship

Notice in our passage that Jesus is speaking, the Pharisees had gathered around him seeking answers to their questions. They wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus answer to them uncovered a deeper dilemma; their hearts were closed to the Christ. Jesus informs them that His sheep “hear” his voice. His sheep heed, listen with the intent of obeying the voice of the true shepherd. Christ’s sheep eagerly obey Him; they put forth an effort to catch the sound of His voice. This they do constantly. They place their full confidence in Him. In order to have a genuine relationship with Christ, the first thing we need to do is be willing to listen to him with the intention of obeying Him. Notice Christ says they “hear” him. This means that true Christians are tuned in to Christ, they have tuned out all the other voices in the wind.

- They have tuned out the world,

- they have tuned out false teachers.

When we have a real relationship, we do not take our cues from the world, we are no longer dominated by the world, we only want to be near the shepherded. When we have a real relationship with God, we are always ready to hear a word from the Master,

Today people are not trying to listen to God. People are running here and running there trying to find teachers that will tickle their ears; teachers who never warn you about coming out of sin, they only tell you how to succeed. They preach the nice sounding platitudes, and easy sounding passages but are afraid to preach the whole counsel of God’s complete revelation. But if you have a real relationship with God, you are eager to hear the full counsel to God, even when it is uncomfortable, you want to hear it because you know that you need it to grow. Real relationship people are ready to hear from God at every opportunity they get.

- They do not skip out on Bible study,

- they do not skip out of Church service,

- and they have their radios tuned in to sound Christian teaching.

Yes the sound of God’s voice is so desirable to them that they:

- maintain secret and private devotions,

- reading and meditating on the word of God on a daily.

- They are on their knees, on their face, on their backs, praying and listening for God’s direction for them because they want to hear from God. The sound of God’s voice is like no other voice; the sound of God’s voice is like music to the ears of Real relationship people.

Our hearts leaps at the sound of God’s voice, we rejoice to hear the sound of God’s voice, we rally around the sound of God’s voice, we worship at the sound of God’s voice, we feed on the voice of God.

1. You need to question your relationship with God if you have no desire to listen to his voice.

2. You need to question your relationship if you have not desire to read the word of God,

3. You need to question your relationship if you have no desire to pray,

1. You need to question your relationship with God if you do not have any desire to come to bible study.

2. You need to question your relationship if you have no desire to spend quality time alone with God.

Illustration

When Jesus told this story the people listening to him, knew what He was alluding to. Shepherds at that time would bring their flocks together for feeding and watering but when it was time to depart the Shepard would call out his sheep from the mingled heard. The sheep that belonged to the Shepherd responded to His voice. The sheep knew the Shepherds voice and ran to it. The old folk use to say that I got a phone in my bosom and I can call Him up, when I need Him. Jesus has placed a phone in the bosom of his followers and they are tuned in to His voice.

B. A Loving Relationship

“and I KNOW them”

Another characteristic about having a real relationship with God is that it is a loving relationship. God wants desperately to have an intimate personal, relationship with his primary creatures. He is not predisposed to rejecting and punishing us, he wants to restore, and renew us to Himself. Notice that Jesus says “I know them.” The word “know” there carries the meaning of “affectionate regard or love toward someone. It implies having a thorough knowledge of the wants, desires, dangers they face, and their unique character. It also carries the meaning of having a deep concern and interest in their welfare. What this passage is saying is that Christ knows us far deeper and more thoroughly than we give him credit for. 2 Tim. 2:19 says “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, God knows those that are His, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” The scriptures suggests that God knows us so well or loves us so much detail that he notices and numbers the very hairs of our head (Matt. 10:30). He knows our personalities,

- He knows our tendencies,

- He knows what makes us tick, and what ticks us off,

- He knows the burdens we carry,

- He knows the fears we face, He knows what keeps us up at night. He knows our dreams,

- He knows our secrets, and yes

- He knows our sins.

The Scripture tells us in Psa 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

The Scriptures tells us that even before we were born God knew us. (Jer. 1:5) What the scriptures suggest is that God has a deep and abiding interest in our well being. He is not out to get us, The scriptures says that it is God’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. He says in Isa. 54:10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

Jer. 29:11 says For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

Illustrate

One good thing about solid relationships is that you can let your guard down, You can be yourself without losing the relationship, you can be transparent.

C. A Leaning Relationship

One key indicator of a genuine relationship with God is a person’s willingness to follow Christ. Notice that Jesus say “my sheep,” this statement is indicative of absolute, complete possession, listen to me and they follow me. Most people reading this verse believe that this phrase means to be obedient to Christ: it certainly carries that application. However the term, follow carries the meaning of being in union with someone. God is looking for someone to connect with Him. Christ is not interested in us simply going through the spiritual motions with Him, doing something because we have to, but serve him out of a free will and love for him. He wants us to be devoted to him, He wants us to agree with him, He wants us to adopt his agenda, He wants us to embrace His plans, He wants us to trust in him. He wants us to walk with him, joined with him and committed to Him. He wants us to want His ways. Union with Christ means that we are disconnecting some previous associations. In Matt. 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

The question we have to ask ourselves is what kind of followers are we. Just like the Pharisees of Christ day, people realize that following Christ demands a change. The Pharisees had all the facts about Christ but were unwilling to follow Christ. They were unwilling to change, they were unwilling to admit that they were sinners, unwilling to admit that they were not righteous, unwilling to turn from their wicked ways, unwilling to let Christ be in charge of their lives. They were your intellectual followers, Christ has demonstrated his Messiah ship to them and they still refused to follow him. We have people like that today who only wish to trip up Christians, only want to discredit the faith. God has demonstrated his credentials to them and they still want to question his legitimacy. Then there is the cultural followers, these are the people who were born in Christian homes to Christian parents, who lived under the precepts of Christianity but have never personally invited Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of their lives. We also have the social Christian, this is the person who just likes to hang around Church, they like to see and be seen. They like to be out front in Church but they do not have the character of Christ.

The true Christian will display some of the meekness of Christ, some of the Character of Christ, why because they have been hanging out with Christ. It is impossible to be led by Christ and do the wrong thing, it is impossible to link up with Christ, linger with Christ, hang out at His feet, listening to his voice, absorbing his teaching and not begin to transform into the very likeness of Christ. This is why people who hang out together long enough begin to look like each other. What God desires in his sheep is that we follow him in obedience. Jesus ask the question, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and you don’t do the things that I say.

Who are you following when your jeans are riding your hips so tight and so low that people can see your underwear?

Who are you following when twenty-five, thirty, forty, fifty dollars of your paycheck goes to the lottery?

Who are you following when you surf the Internet, looking for naked men and naked women doing abominable things?

Who are you following when you are sneaking and creeping trying to keep you a little honey on the side, a little sugar daddy on the side, cheating on your husband, fooling around on your wife?

Who are you following when your language is full of the negative, you never have a kind thing to say about anything or anybody,

Who you following today? What do you allow to entertain you? Is it wholesome or is it filthy? Jesus is holy and He does not lead us into filth.

D. A Living Relationship

A genuine relationship with God will bring about assimilation of God’s Character in our lives. In fact the word here for life carries the meaning of “the fullness of God’s essence, assimilating his glorious attributes, partaking His divine nature.” When we establish a real relationship with God, He quickens us or he makes us alive. You see we do not begin to live until we come to Jesus in repentance and faith. The life the God wants to give his sheep is a life that is capable of enjoying the things of God, the blessings of God down here on earth and be suitable and ready to enjoy them to a more greater degree in heaven. The life that God gives is eternal life, it is everlasting. This is not the type of life that is endured, this is life in abundance, this is life on steroids. What Christ does is He comes in and gives, strength, direction, purpose and correction for all the other areas of our existence. Jesus said I come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly. Jesus life is a meaningful life, it is a full life, it is an enduring life.

The best that the world can offer you is a superficial life, they start out looking good but in the end we get burned. It is a life that moves from one fad to the next, one high to the next, one person to the next, one experience to the next, one toy to the next. Nothing brings satisfaction, nothing brings joy, and nothing brings lasting happiness. The superficial life the world gives you only sucks you dry, binds you up and uses you up. It may be fun, but it is destroys those foolish enough to engage in it. It leaves you broken, beaten, and battered empty. Those in real relationship know that it is the Lord who satisfies, Psalms 107: 9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

Illustrate

E. A Lasting Relationship

One thing about our relationship with God is that we will never perish. The term “perish” here means to be destroyed, or to be punished in Hell (John 3:15 says that it is not the will of your heavenly father that anyone of these little ones should perish).We will never get to the point that we will ever lose our salvation. We will never experience the judgment of God. We never get to the place where we are eternally separated from God. Scriptures says that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

When you have a genuine relationship with God you can rest because, the Shepherd guards the sheep, He is more than able to defend us against any foe. I don’t care what type of situation you may face, God is able to bring you through it and deliver you out of it.

The second reason we can rest is that no one can snatch us, or rip us out or tear us away from the Hand of Christ. There is no one big enough or powerful enough to take us away from Christ when we fully come to Christ.

The third reason why our relationship with God is a lasting relationship is because God the Father has us in his hand. God in his omnipotent power secures the believer by his might and protection. The scripture says Psa. 125:2 as the mountains are round about Jerusalem so the Lord are about his people henceforth now and forever more.

Conclusion

Somebody maybe still asking the question- Why do I need a relationship with God?

-Because Jobs will pass away, friendships will pass away, fame , money and fortune will pass away but a real relationship with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will last forever.

Why do we need a relationship with God,

A Relationship with God

· Brings peace to the trouble mind

· Heals the broken heart

· Will take away the loneliness we experience

· Will take away the fears we face

· Will take away the disappointment we feel

· Will take away the rejection we endure

· Will restore a messed up marriage

· Will gives you someone to cry out to in the mid-night hours.

-When the Doctor gives you up for dead , you need to have a relationship with God.

- When family turns their back on you- you can still make it if you have a relationship with God.

- When all hell breaks loose in your life, you need to have a relationship with God.

- When life no longer makes sense, you don’t understand why all this stuff is happening to you- you need a relationship with God.

-

- When your money turns funny, and you need to pay out more than what is coming in, you can still make it if you have a relationship with God.

- When your marriage is a mess, and you are ready to call it quits, you need to have a relationship with God.

-

- When people lie on you, scandalize your name, you need to have a relationship with God.

-

- When people you love try to destroy you, write you off and say you will never amount to anything, you can still make it, if you have a relationship with God.

- When so call friends stop speaking to you and separate themselves from you, you need to have a relationship with God.

- When that boss passes you over for that promotion that you deserve, you can still make it, if you have a relationship with God.

- When your world turns upside down, and you have no one willing to help you, you can still make it If you have a relationship with God.

A Relationship with God places the situation in the hands of someone

· Who can address the problem

· Who can work on the problem

· Who can work out the problem

· Who can eliminate the problem

· Who can change the problem