Building a Relationship With God: Rooted in God's Word

Sermon Notes:

“It is in the middle that human choices are made; the beginning and the end remain with God. The decrees of God are birth and death, and in between those limits man makes his own distress or joy.” - Oswald Chambers

And “We need to live with urgency, knowing that our lives are short, that it matters what we believe, who we tell, and how we live.”

Stop Taking the Shortcut:

Are you putting God first or are you putting Him off? Are you spending time with God so you can say you did it and just move on or are you actually putting Him first in everything that you do. Come to God first and cast everything on Him. Don’t forget he’s your Father!

Building Relationships

Definition of relationship?

the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected;

the way in which two or more people or groups regard and behave toward each other.

Reflection:

So what is your connection to God?

How would you say your relationship with God is right now?

1. WE NEED TO INTERROGATE THE WORD

Start asking questions. Why is this here? Who is that? What does this Word mean? The Bible is perfectly capable of answering itself! And this capability comes from knowing and reading your Word.

THE STORY OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

Read LUKE 16:19-31

So again taking from the words of Jesus he stressed to us about the here in now and how important what you do on this earth matters. LIVE WITH URGENCY!

Questions to Ask Regarding the Text:

Who is Abraham?

What's a bosom?

Abraham: Abraham[a] (originally Abram)[b] is the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions,

"Bosom of Abraham" refers to the place of comfort in the Biblical Sheol, and therefore so described in the New Testament) where the righteous dead await Judgment Day.

It’s a Spiritual Journey

To get to know him and build a relationship is HARD and that commitment is what discerns foolish people from wise. Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. Make note that in this passage the man did fall but it’s okay because he got back up again and did NOT stay down. So, in everything go to God. That is what Hannah did even though the priest thought it was crazy [1 Samuel 1:10-20] David went to God even though he sinned horribly [2 Samuel 11-12] and Job went to God even though he was faithful and his life took a turn for the worst.

This spiritual journey, this life IS an emotional roller coaster. You need to know that God is the operator of this roller coaster called life and you need to trust him. You can trust that you are able to build a relationship with the God who wants a relationship with you and that is through His Word. Stop getting comfortable with your situation and do something to change it. Put in some effort.

2. READ THE BIBLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS

Check out different texts, different meanings to help you or look up the Hebrew word and see what the original meaning was and how it translates

NOTE: it’s not every translation or definition that you use. Some of them go far off from the original text.

So how will I know? How will I know it's wrong or what do I do if I’m confused?

Pray and God and ask God about it. Spend time with the Word and it will reveal itself to you. I know it sounds very ominous but it’s true. Pray God gives you discernment and understanding that the questions you ask and the answers you receive are of God.

Translations I Enjoy:

AMP: it gives a little bit more explanation and meaning to passages - like it put any extra information in brackets

CSB: it gives cross references to other passages to take you to other places in the Bible where you see that story, text, word being mentioned again ex.or As bitter as wormwood referenced in: and in rev

NLTNIVESV: all pretty much the same to me I just like to modern and easy to comprehend text if I would like to understand something in a more understanding straightforward way

KJV/NKJV: I like these passages as reference passages and the main text I would like to gain understanding about

Find a text that you enjoy and that works for you!

3. WE NEED TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD AND PAY ATTENTION WITH HOW WE’RE SPENDING TIME WITH HIM

Mark 1:35

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

God pays attention to your heart.

SUGGESTION: You could wake up at the same time and take a few minutes before you get ready to wake up maybe 10 minutes earlier or right before you start school work on that relationship for a little bit. But remember to "pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

NOW LET ME END THIS SECTION WITH THIS.

I could be wrong.

But how would you know that?

What is stopping you from going back home and reading or interpreting these passages for yourselves?

How are you trying to gain understanding?

Read 2 Peter 3:14-18 ESV

The Bible says that if you seek wisdom she will find you. [I encourage you to study the book of Proverbs for this]

You have all the tools necessary to gain understanding. You have the capacity to increase your knowledge so I want to challenge you.

Read Hebrews 5:12-14

You are at that age that no one should have to hold your hand anymore. You at that place in your lives should start working towards spiritual maturity. Drinking milk to eating meat is not overnight. You go from baby, to toddler, to preteen, teen, adult. Now I’m not saying you have to be at the adult phase because you are not adults. But in the Hebrew translation it can also mean “mature” or “perfect” which is something you guys can still obtain. I mean there are some “adults'' that don’t act like adults. And there are some children that are well beyond their years. In this strive for perfection you should get to know your Father, you should be able to share the Word with God with others and live by example just as you do for your younger siblings or your friends. And how do you do this? Through “constant practice to distinguish good from evil” as mentioned in verse 14.

Now I can tell you now there ARE wrong answers.

How you interpret the text matters.

There are outside influences.

Your own mind

Culture

Even me I could be wrong

Instead of taking my words face value, are you checking to see that everything I’m saying is actually biblical Godly? That's what a lot of Christian suffer from. Hosea 4:6

MATTHEW 24:24

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Scary isn’t it?

Jesus says in Matthew 7:22-23

(In reference to the passages) How do we go about this?

Simple: By prayer. Pray that God opens your hearts and your minds to the word of God that HE gives you the understanding and wisdom to read his Word the way he meant it for you. Pray that he gives you the passion in the joy that comes with getting to know Him and reading His Word. The Bible cannot and will not contradict itself everything you need is right in front of you

Closing

I just want to close out with these few passages for you to take to heart:

Ecclesiastes 12:13

13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity.

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is inspired by God[a] and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,