SLM - Our Personal Relationship with God

What comes to mind when you hear someone say, “I have a personal relationship with God”?

Skit:

Caleb or Peter is reading his Bible. I walk in, see him reading Bible and ask if he’s a Christian.

That’s awesome! I have a personal relationship with God too!

Do you observe a positive response in you or a skeptical response?

Often is the case where we need to qualify that statement, rather than accept it wholesomely

How do you qualify it or test out the legitamacy of that statement?

Oh yeah, I’ve had my relationship with God for the last four years and I am so in love with God. I am actually attending a church that’s like ten minutes off base called Free Life! Have you heard of it?

Oh man, I’m so excited to invite you to come when you’re free! We go out into Waukegan to give meals to the homeless, pray with them and heal them.

Well, not all of them, just the ones who have faith.

I’m so excited to meet another follower of Yahweh, you know it’s crazy because I was just praying to her and she even told me that I needed to come out and head this way!

Why do we need to qualify the assertion of having a personal relationship with God? Because we must be able to discern between the authentic personal relationship with God from a counterfeit relationship with God

Mt 7:21-27, Timothy Keller, Authentic Christianity 1993

Beginning with vv. 21-23,

We have a community of people asserting this relationship with God as demonstrated by three traits

They have an orthodoxy of doctrine, attributing the title of Lord to Jesus Christ and conduct their life in His name

They’re emotionally ignited, noting the emphatic repition of Lord, Lord! & and in Your name

They’re active in service, these people are casting out demons, prophesying, and performing many miracles!

“He doesn’t say to them, “Well, you must be Christians who backslid or something.” He says, “I never knew you.”... Is there anything wrong with orthodox doctrine, emotional involvement, or deep ministry? No! As a matter of fact, every real Christian will also have those three traits. But these are also traits we see in people who on the last day are rejected by Christ as inauthentic Christians. Let me put the logic to you this way. The absence of these three traits demonstrates you’re not a Christian, but the presence of these three traits does not demonstrate you are.”

Now in looking at the passage, we are left to wonder, well if orthodoxy, passion, and action are not the traits that determine whether you are an authentic Christian or not, what then are the traits of the authentic Christian??

There are only two indicators presented when we look at this passage:

The lordship issue

The grace issue

Looking at v. 21, the authentic Christian surrenders his will. The mark of an authentic Christian is not necessarily more moral, more self-controlled, greater character than the inauthentic Christian... The mark of the authentic Christian who does the will of the Father.

What separates the authentic Christian from the inauthentic one is by observing how they handle their self-will. If you are the type of professing believer who wonders how they can still be happy and still keep control of their life, be warned now, you likely do not have a personal relationship with God.

As Christians, we stand at a forked road where we must either abandon our self-will or abandon our hope; we cannot cling to both at once.

Looking at vv. 24-27, the authentic Christian has grasped the grace of God. Two houses are both built, and they are made of the same material, orthodox doctrine, service, solid teaching, and ministry. Now what is the determining factor that sets the stability of these two same houses apart?

One bases the whole house on the rock, Jesus Christ, the other house is on the sand, which means the other house is its own foundation.

What separates the authentic Christian from the inauthentic one is by observing how they handle grace. If you are the type of professing believer who looks to their accomplishments, deeds, moral and religious acheivements when times go bad and shake your fist to God, pointing to your pile of σκύβαλον.

If you’re not familiar with Paul’s resume, I’d like to respectfully request that you read and meditate on Philippians 3 tonight.

As Christians, we are called to utterly and completely forsake building our lives on anything but the words of Jesus. As the old hymnal sings,

My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But a wholly lean in Jesus' Name...

On Christ the solid Rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand.

Summary:

What are the qualifications of a personal relationship with God?

Jesus is your King

You submit your will to His

Jesus is your Savior

You submit your life to Him

What are the fruits of a personal relationship with God?

You’ll have an orthodoxy of doctrine

You’ll be emotionally ignited

You’ll be active in service

You’re driven by doxilogical orthodoxy/orthodoxical doxology

Gal 5:16, 22-24