Rock Solid Relationship or Relationship on the Rocks? - Part A

At our very core.

We want to see and touch and experience God is in the prophet said truly you are a God who hides himself same sentiment is expressed to see God's revelation so once again I asked the question how we have a relationship. A personal relationship with the VA was so different from us no more than ever. Our culture thinks that seeing is believing God's work shows us that the kind of truth, the changes your life goes much deeper than what you eyes can see connect with skip. I took today as he shares how you can have a more intimate relationship with God that results in real transformation.

Stay tuned after the message is Skip his wife when Cheryl about some Bible resources that will help you dig deeper into God's word. We invite you to sign up our devotional email we call a medieval male next Devo mail from Skippy go right to the website and do that. That's connectwithskip.com love to be able to get that many nuts call. It's free.

Thank you, skip, and when you be sure to stay with us after today's message to hear the full discussion right now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you break free from anxiety and experience the peace. Jesus questions can be ambushed by supply struggles. You know how that feels.

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This resource bundle is our thanks for your gift of $35 or more today to help connect more people to the Prince of peace connectwithskip.com/offered to give online securely or call 819 to 1888 joint Skip I to put today's teacher chapter 1 couple of weeks ago after the service man came up and asked a very good question that Skip like I hear that you speak a lot about God's relationship to relationship relation with God versus having a religious experience. Could you explain to me the difference between religion and relationship really well thought through.

Question this week one of our pastors received an email that was very similar to lengthy email work. The person said help me understand this whole relationship with God thing you guys talk about me.

I'm reading my Bible and I'm praying and I talked to God my lesson but I'm not really hearing anything. So how do you have a personal relationship with God. Now think about that God doesn't engage in the faculty of speech like you and I know it.

God doesn't send you a text he doesn't email you during the day doesn't pick up the phone and say what's up.

This is God you don't, they got a lunch taken to a park you don't want a bicycle ride with God. And it's not quite the same idea of a personal relationship with God. To make matters a little more complicated. He's invisible. So the person that you're having a personal relationship with you can't see that makes the dynamic much more difficult right because we are visual people like to see people that we have relationships with.

You recall the book you have to recall that much after the event because it was written in the 1800s, but it's been popularized by several retakes on the movie called the invisible man Hg Wells who wrote the book the idea was that some guy true science discovered a way to become invisible.

Who of us have been fantasizing we could be invisible would be great over here.

Those conversations find out what they're really thinking about us and it sounds really great and it sounded really great to the guy who became invisible but it became a problem because the invisible man had to touch the visible world. So if he ate food. You could see it when he chewed and swallowed it and it was still visible till it was digested that the problem if you were to take something you would see that thing that he took float down the road with him. So now the invisible man suddenly made visible people could see that he's there, which definitely poses a problem because it's hard to trust somebody you don't see hard to have a relationship with somebody that you don't see is like a little girl named Lucy who wrote a letter to God and said dear God, are you really invisible. Is that just a trick but the pretty cool track. But how do you have a relationship with him. We want to see God.

Even Moses who heard God's voice and saw miracles God performed. He wanted more. He wanted him personally. Moses cried out, show me your glory want to see you and are very core. We want to see and touch and experience God. Isaiah the prophet said truly you are a God who hides himself same sentiment is expressed want to see God do have a relationship with so once again I asked the question how do we have a relationship.

A personal relationship with a being who is so different from us. You know his attributes right he's all-knowing, you're not. He's all-powerful, you're not. He's everywhere present.

You're not.

You don't have a lot in common with this being sought. We have a relationship with God. We have a meaningful rock solid relationship with want to give you three principles to answer that question. Actually, it's simple, it's actually two principles to ingredients that make for any personal relationship with your life. Husband friend children and God to ingredients three principles in the third principle is based on the two ingredients in any personal relationship with any person visible or invisible. There are two things must be present love and trust, love and trust inseparable love and trust now want to look at the verses that were to consider verse eight and nine first Peter chapter 1 you don't mind, I'd like to get a little context with it.

So to begin in verse six in this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while if need be. You have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now for our verses to consider today whom having not seen you love.

Though now you do not see him yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your soul. You will notice in verse eight.

Those two ingredients are mentioned love and believe your trust, love and trust. Those are the two ingredients essential for any personal relationship.

If you violate love relationship disintegrates. If you violate trust. The relationship disintegrates.

One source said love and trust our requirements in any relationship to make a lasting when these two characteristics lead from our relationship and that relationship becomes weak. So using verse eight in verse nine would unpack these phrases and we notice what Peter is saying this relationship with God is based on love this relationship with God is based on trust and this relationship that is based on love and based on trust is a relationship that is deeply satisfying beyond words.

Joy inexpressible and full of glory. Let's just take one by one person about this relationship based on love verse eight look at it read with me whom having not seen you love. Actually, the original Greek language is much stronger.

Of home having never had a glimpse you love. I think of the audience doing Peter was writing Peter was not writing to apostles, who had been with Jesus personally was writing to scattered believers throughout Asia minor. As we have seen a few weeks ago but never ever met Christ. They had never seen him with their eyes. They had never heard his voice.

He never gazed into his eyes when he spoke they never ate with them. They never walked with him. In fact they were not personal followers of him at all, merely converts of those who had been personal followers right knee. Seen him he was an apostle and these were converts of apostles. These were the very ones Jesus prayed about in the 17th chapter of John and after praying for his own apostle said, I pray not for these alone, but for all of those who will believe in me through their word that's was writing to that no first hand experience with Christ. What they believed in him, and according to Peter. They loved whom having not seen you love its normal to love.

Let's put it this way it's it's normal to fall in love with somebody when you see them. You know the old days they use to plan for marriages before you even saw the person not not a great idea necessarily because you could be surprised what you see the person now. When I first met my wife.

I saw her across the room. I hadn't really met her yet, but I saw her across the room and I noticed I can tell you this day which he was wearing what you look like red jeans, white blouse, flip-flops, beautiful hair and I looked at her across the room and I thought I want to meet her, but it was visual I saw her there was an attraction later on. It was verbal.

We exchange words we had met each other. Peter is saying you love someone you don't see and you are growing in love with that someone you don't see that that's really the intention of the language here it's in the present active indicative whom having not seen you are loving is ongoing and unbeliever in hearing what I'm talking about will say impossible.

This is not possible mean how do you Christians know you didn't just make this up. Maybe Jesus is simply a projection of yourself and your loving a projection of yourself calling of God are calling a Jesus but he's a mythical figure, you can't love somebody you don't see au contraire after I met my wife and after it started dating, she moved a lion she was there for two years and two years being separated visually. You know what I grew in my love for.

I wrote letters she wrote letters. I still have them. We made a few phone calls but I discovered phone calls from California to Hawaii are pretty expensive so many phone calls I was cheap but a lot of letters and through those letters and those few phone calls. There were things that I understood about her. I discovered her character. I discovered her values.

I discovered her dreams. I discovered her peers and at one point even. I sent a bouquet of flowers with a little note attached said I love you and you could say you can't love her because you can't see her. That's not true and that's my point. Invisible doesn't mean unlovable. My love is actually growing for her even though I couldn't see her and isn't this really be essential part of Christianity isn't the irreducible minimum is a description of a Christian. Someone who loves the Lord is really a good description key. She loves Jesus Christ with a lot of the will. That's what agape love means it's a choice that one makes choices. You never seen them but you love him. In fact, would you look with me at chapter 2 verse seven. Therefore, to you who believe he is was a sick precious precious do you believe he is precious. That's how much you love and he's precious to you. That's personal relationship and that's what Jesus meant when he summed up the entire law by saying here you can summon up all by saying this. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your mind. All of your soul and all of your strength.

That is the essence relationship based on love no as opposed to that unbelievers are described in the Bible as those who do not love the Lord they don't love them.

First Corinthians 16 verse 22. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.

The Lord comes, let me suggest you, this is where we should make our examination.

This is where we should make our probe. Ask a person do you love Jesus try that when you're witnessing to somebody and citizen, have you heard of the four spiritual laws just as the basic question for Spurgeon.

What I do know there was one spiritual law. Just asking this. Do you love Jesus Christ you just be amazed by the answers. Now, if you hear somebody describe a consuming intimate love for Jesus you're dealing with the transform heart, but often you can hear things like get real nervous without question below Jesus know my grandma would church good.

Yes the question again maybe did hear me you love Jesus will you know me and the big guy we have an understanding going on just getting comfortable with the whole idea of a motion in love for Christ that the person says yes I do love because that's the nice thing to say is pretty easy thing to say ask a deeper question.

How do you know you love others SQ you say you love the Lord. How do you know you love. What's the proof that you would love obey his commands. That's exactly what Jesus said if you were to say well I know that I love them because every time you say that name I get really warm and fuzzy inside. Okay not good enough Jesus to his 12 apostles.

His men in the upper room sharing Passover before he died. By the way, that whole upper room discourse, especially in John chapter 14 there are two themes around to it. You know they are love and trust, love and trust, love and trust you believe in God. This trust, believe also in me. This trust believe me or believe me for the very sake of the works themselves as trust, then he speaks about love. This is John 14 verse 15 if you love me you will keep my commandments, that is Christianity 101. If you love me, obey me, keep my commandments. Verse 21 of the same chapter he said he who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Verse 23 Jesus speaking again.

If anyone loves me, he will keep my word very next verse, verse 24 he who does not love me does not keep my words listen if you don't love Jesus Christ enough to do what he says you don't love Jesus Christ, love, basis of relationship are you prove it you do it. He says shows that you love them so invisible does not mean unlovable. Also invisible does not mean unavailable because you can't see God as a means not available to help you he is your helper. I can prove that point in the physical world. Try calling 911 and see what happens. You talk to somebody you can see on the other end of the line but I guarantee you, you will see a visible manifestation of the call that you just made because they will send people out there respond to that call invisible doesn't mean unavailable couple weeks ago I had a cola fencing contractor because this last storm the blue through blue and elm tree that almost took my house, but it took my fence out in the backyard wiped out. So I made a phone call to never met him. He was invisible to me couple days he had somebody set out a representative and now it's fixed invisible doesn't mean unavailable. Now when I called him he could've been in his office.

He could've been out of the golf course. Maybe the golf course was his office that matter I couldn't see him. I didn't know but he made himself available and God does to Jeremiah 33 it says call on me and I will answer you. God says call on me and I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know its availability. It's all part of the love relationship invisible doesn't mean unlovable, invisible, doesn't mean unavailable.

So that's the first ingredient in a personal relationship with God or with anybody else for that matter. It's based on love second relationship is based on trust. Look again at verse eight. Though now, second sentence, though now you do not see him yet believing, or trust same idea. Trust see love and trust go together. You can't really separate love and trust.

The sold believes cannot but love the soul, the loves cannot trust you can't separate love and trust go together like baseball and admit it's like peanut butter and jelly like coffee and doughnuts. I didn't say it's like policeman and doughnuts.

I wouldn't go there like coffee and donuts are inseparable like popcorn in the movie the lock in a key love and trust go together. You will recall the great chapter the love chapter, first Corinthians 13, Paul said love bears all things love hopes all things, love believes all things. True love trusts notice something in verse eight, is the word now is very important, though now you do not see him know that applies, you will you don't now but you will sometime you will then there will be a time when that which is invisible becomes apparent in visible and tangible first John chapter 3 when he appears, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is was a great hope of Job, who suffered the loss of his family.

The loss of his health. The curses of his wife and he said, in Job 19 after my skin is destroyed, this I know that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself. My eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within.

So now you don't see them but now you trust believe in it effect until we can see that's what we have is what Paul said, for we walk by faith and not by sight. But you gotta know something, and here's part of the hope that which is faith right now will one day pass away your CM ratio Spafford was a lawyer in Chicago wrote one of my favorite hymns called it as well with my soul and he wrote that him after his wife and children died.

He lost them all. They died at sea and over the very spot. It is said were his boat sailed as he was out there to recover the damages he wrote it as well with my soul and remember one of those phrases. One of those verses in that great him all Lord Jesus the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound in the Lord will descend, even so it is well with my soul. That's trust and that is personal relationship. So now right now we trust FA when I say we have faith we trust. We believe that it doesn't doesn't just mean. I believe God exists somewhere up there.

Means I personally lean on him. I depend on him. I confided in him. That's trust these two things bind us together and intimacy with Christ. Love and trust that concludes its message is series voxel that you Skip as they share about surviving resources that will help you dig deeper into God's work. Skip thank you Frawley sank to the gods where in your many years of ministry place emphasis on doctrine, and equipping some of the resources you make to our listeners. Let me run down a happy list.

It's happy because these resources we get to get out for three you can go to connectwithskip.com that's connectwithskip.com and get a number of those resources.

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