Welcome back again to the fourth installment of our series exploring our relationship with God.
We began by looking at the dynamic between Jesus, the scriptures, and the holy spirit.
Then in part two, we saw the pivotal role that Faith plays in our relationship with God, and how coming to him requires not only that we know his character, but we know our status, as redeemed new creations because of his sacrifice.
Then, in the third part, we begin exploring how understanding our relationship and status in Christ affects our perceptions and how we live day-to-day.
Now, we will continue examining how understanding our new nature in Christ changes even how we approach God in prayer, by looking at specific teachings, and examples shown in the scriptures.
Let's get started.
Welcome back to the third part of our series on our relationship with God, and what that means and looks like in daily life.
In the previous two segments, we’ve seen the proper distinctions and the dynamic between the scriptures, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and how the foundation of our relationship and coming to Jesus, begins with faith— the divine information of who God is, what He has done, and who we are in Him today.
Today, we’re going to build on this foundation by seeing how all of this information fits together to strengthen our relationship with God, and allows us to be in unity with Him.
In part one of our study, we started taking a deeper look at our relationship with God, and we saw how this divine relationship goes farther than simply religious activity.
Now in part 2 today we’ll continue exploring our relationship with God, through the lens of Jesus Christ, empowered by His Spirit.
When you consider the phrase “relationship with God” what comes to your mind? For the majority of Christians I’ve spoken with, they think of things such as, going to church, reading their bible, or other religious activities. All of these things are good, but can a relationship with Jesus be reduced to a list of tasks?
The scriptures speak in detail about our relationship with Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and where exactly we fit in this spiritual dynamic. The scriptures also show us what this relationship looks like in practical application. And spoiler alert— it goes far deeper than a list of things to do.
So join me today as we explore the finer points of our relationship with God through the finished work and atonement of Jesus Christ.
Knowing Jesus Christ is the absolute fundamental of the Gospel message. Surprisingly, something so essential as knowing Jesus, is surrounded by a lot of debate, various opinions, and confusion.
For some, knowing Jesus amounts to simply attending a church building, listening to a sermon, and performing other regular Christian rituals. For others, knowing Jesus involves extensive bible reading and study plans.
I understand each of these positions; I’ve lived them for a number of years. As good as gathering together with believers and scripture reading is though, neither captures the essence of knowing Jesus.
What I want to share with you today, is how Jesus describes knowing himself, and how we can truly grow in our relationship with him.
Welcome back to part 2 of our series on blessings in the Kingdom of God. Last week we saw how much God cares for us, which can be a sticking-point for people who see God as more of a judge than a loving Father.
We also saw how the Kingdom of God is not something that we strive toward or reach for, but in-fact the Kingdom comes to us, through Jesus Christ. If you haven’t yet watched the previous study, I would encourage you to see that study first as we will be continuing upon that foundation today.
In this study, we will be looking at blessings and how they come to us, and also in what measure they come to us – the reality is greater than what we often think.
The idea of “tempting God” has always been an interesting one for me. Growing up in a religious setting, hearing traditional teaching, I was always told that tempting (or testing) God was a bad idea, and it was a sure way to get yourself hurt.
Of-course being a younger child (physically and spiritually), this made me apprehensive about asking God for anything or trusting Him. After all, how could I truly be certain that I wasn’t testing Him with my request? No-one ever really explained it. And as I grew-up in these same religious environment, any time I tried to reach out in faith and trust God for things, someone would come along and say “Now brother, don’t go testing God!” – and it would reignite that fear all over again.
But what does it actually mean to “test” or “tempt” God? Does it mean we can never believe Him? Does it mean we can never rely on or trust Him? We’re going to talk about this today. Let’s get started!
In many Christian circles there is talk about the relationship with Christ, we hear about that quite often in-fact, and I have mentioned it many times in these studies as well. However it has come to my attention that there is actually some misunderstanding regarding what this phrase means. In some ways we have turned this simple phrase into something mystical, magical or difficult to comprehend, when in-fact it is so simple.
As a result of this confusion, what actually is very simple and straightforward, now seems out of reach to many people. I have spoken with many Christians who are chasing after this unicorn of “relationship with Christ”, when it actually has already been given. And as such, believers are left dazed, confused and wondering when it will be completed, never realizing that the work was completed long ago.
This is what I want to share with you today – the truth about your union with Christ.
Psalms 91 is one of the greatest Psalms for those who believe on Jesus Christ, because it is a detailed list showing us all of the many ways in which God demonstrates His love for us – and what the finished work of Christ has given to us, even in this life.
In Part 1 of our study, we looked at the foundation: our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, our connection to Him, our oneness with Him – as mentioned in verse 1.
In Part 2 last week, we looked at the many gifts and blessings that are included in that relationship in verses 2 through 14.
Now today, in this third and final part of our study on Psalms 91, we conclude by completing the circle, as this all returns once again to our relationship with Jesus Christ, our personal connection with Him, as we see the final blessings and marvelous promises for us, found in the final verses of the chapter, verses 15 and 16.