The Importance of a Personal Relationship (Scripture: John 15:15) - 01/17/15 Introduction: A. Jesus sets us free from the shackles of sin. Meditate on Gods promises of freedom from sin through Jesus. Scripture: John 15:15 B. Why did God create you? What is it that He wants from you above everything else you have? Why did He go to such extremes to save you and me by giving us His only begotten Son? The reason is simply this: God desires to have a personal relationship with each one of us. I. Scripture: No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15:15) II. We have been made in the image of God—we are equipped to have a personal relationship with Him. Consider all the things Jesus did with the disciples. He: A. Prayed with them. B. Ate with them. C. Laughed with them. (Children were drawn to Him, so He must have been humble and approachable.) D. Shared his transfiguration and the appearance of Elijah and Moses with them. E. Fished with them. F. Delivered them from storms. G. Reproved them, but never condemned them. H. Was transparent. (He made no secret of the fact that He and the Father were one.) I. Wept at the death of Lazarus. J. Was grieved to the point of death the night before the Cross. III. How can we have a personal relationship with God? A. Acknowledge that your sins have separated you from God. We have a sin nature. Its not just that we do wrong things. Our works can never save us. Even if we reform our behavior, we still have a corrupt nature. B. Believe that Jesus Christ came to be a substitute for each of us. When Jesus Christ went to the cross, God the Father placed all our sins—past, present and future—upon Him. That doesnt mean that we can now get away with sin. God will still discipline us. It does mean that we can be confident about where we will go when we die. C. Understand that when we sin as believers, we can be forgiven and our fellowship restored. D. Accept the love God has for us as a Father. (Dr. Stanley example: Feeling the Fathers love.) IV. What happens when I have a personal relationship with God? Life will be: A. Exciting. The God of the universe has an adventure for me as I follow Him. B. Challenging. You will face temptations and trials. C. Purifying. God will bring to the surface sins that you never realized were there. D. A maturing process. A personal relationship with God takes time to develop. E. Empowering. The Holy Spirit enables you to become the person God wants you to be. F. Delightful. When you delight yourself in God, He will give you the desires of your heart. V. When you begin to pursue a personal relationship with God: A. He protects you from wasting your life, wrecking your body, following false ideologies, and wasting your finances. B. You will feel that the Lord is near. You will begin to call him my Father and consider Jesus Christ to be your best friend. C. You wont feel alone. You may have times of loneliness, but you will be able to sense His presence with you. He promised to never leave you nor forsake you. D. Sin will begin to lose its appeal. E. The Holy Spirit will speak through you. F. You will have a desire for God to be exalted through your life, through your walk, your words, and your work. Conclusion: Let’s Ask Ourselves: Do I have a personal relationship with God? or do I just know about Him? He desires to have an intimate relationship with you that will lead non-believers to Christ.........HAPPY SABBATH! - ptr. John 2015
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 00:46:17 +0000
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