The Reality of Your Relationship - Part 1

Welcome to the intensified Child for Thursday, September 23 priorities when accepting when your relationship with the Lord becomes secondary. It's easy to drift away from the only lifestyle what you are looking to church look around is what we see we see a church that is very confused. We should church that has lost its way and we see a church that is floundering for a sense of direction. We got more money today in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and institutional church than ever before. We have more trade breaches than ever before. More staff members than ever before. More beautiful edifices more convenient, more comfortable buildings than ever before.

In fact we have everything that we've ever had before, and yet the problem is that while we are increasing and everything. Our influence is diminishing proportionately. There may be many reasons, but I believe one of the primary reasons is that in all of our program and all of our attempt to build great churches. One thing that we have overlooked above all the rest is this, that is, we have forgotten what God said in the very beginning about our relationship to him that he is far more interested and impressed by our relationship with him than what you and can ever do for him. He's not interested in what we do for him. He's interested in what we are in relationship to him. I want to get this down everything that we do we do from one of two resources we either do it from human resource. Whatever we are doing for God. We either resort to human resources within ourselves, our second make a heavenly relationship either is going to be the result of my human resource are a heavenly relationship. Whatever we are doing for God. Whatever work may be whatever the activity is is going to find its source in one of those two either.

I'm going to do it out of my human resources viability my talents my gifts my knowledge my experience. My understanding my material resource are out of my heavenly relationship with Jesus Christ, who has promised to be everything you need at any moment in your life. God never intended for his children to serve him live for him work with him on the basis of human resources. That is not of God.

That is the devils substitute way for doing the work of God, but on the other hand, if we are working and living and laboring from a heavenly relationship that is because of our intimate relationship with him as a whole different matter.

I think the 37th song that that the truth reverses that the wrap it all up when you and I are laboring working living on the basis of a heavenly relationship. What happens. First of all we did like ourselves and heal because we know that it is as we are delighting in him that that's the source. Secondly, no delight in him, we commit to him and the third thing he says is, therefore, we can rest in him. You sleep as long as we are laboring from human resource. We are always in a bar always struggling and fretting and laboring and bearing the weight of what we are trying to do when will laboring under a relationship, a heavenly relationship we have unlimited resources, unlimited wisdom given by God.

And so what we just did the delight ourselves and him.

Not in the work we commit ourselves to him not to the work we rest in him and not weary ourselves under the laborious work that we feel that God has given us the therefore what I will smooth the next few moments is to examine our hearts in this matter. Relationship to him and let just get this etched in your mind to ask yourself, whatever you doing where it may be am I doing this on the basis of my human resources or am I doing this on the basis of a heavenly relationship.

He is not the least bit impressed with works. He is only impressed with relationship in the me ask you this. What kind of relationship you have with God's will read the Bible. I pray I do this and what kind of relationship. Let me ask you this, what, when you think about God. What do you think about some invisible source are spirit up yonder in the somewhere outgunned a place called heaven or a man sitting on a large throne with a long white beard and white hair and and with all these are spirits of some sort.a dancing around them and people bowing down saying praise the what you think about when you think about God or do you think of a warm, intimate, personal, indwelling friend, what is your relationship to God. You see, we are so actively engaged in making a living and working for God and doing this doing that having a recreation and all that we just pulled in so many different directions. We miss the one thing he told us to do about everything else in the Bible and all folks are legalistic never dedicated but that dedicated to legalism and they are committed to work, not to God.

And when I read the Gospels, the one thing he keeps talking about is my personal relationship with him. He's not interested in what I do for you is what when you think about God. What do you think about some people have an intellectual relationship. Yes, I believe there is a God, and they read the Bible. They read books about the Bible so they could intellectually sit in the back that there is a God, and their relationship to him is only an intellectual mental ass into the back of his possible existence or even a commitment to the fact that God exist, but that is as far as their relationship to him goes because they go about doing their own thing and they they owe him nothing.

They don't give them anything they don't believe in them as as as the God who we believe in is just an intellectual assent. The second I think that's evident here. Not only is there an intellectual relationship but there is a relationship that I think you and I could call to say and in different relationship intellectual relationship and a different relationship does talk about a Christian for example, a person who's been save of the grace of God, who is been baptized and they go on the church most of their life. Or maybe the young person I when they were slaves about us as well.

That's it.

Never got any instruction never got any training never challenged to grow deep never challenge the walk in the spirit never challenge for quiet time just say got baptized and dropped them up you and the church building, and many of you grew up in church.

That's what happened to you and so you always know he's there in case you need and the relationship.

It is one of indifference because you only call on and in time of an emergency. So you see you still live a little indifferent to him each day and is not that you intended to be that way.

It's just the fact that nobody taught you in the better and it's sort of a distant relationship only because you think he's up there but is just the fact that you don't no one ever taught you that is to be an intimate relationship. Oneness abiding, but just a distant relationship with that I think of as the relationship is an imitation, the imitation relationship and that is you just so you just will act like oh sure, I believe in God sure on site. You are everything for you. I pray I read the Bible toward you, just where this counterfeit façade that everything is right and you and your attempting to imitate what you know he wants you to be. And somehow you you can't be that. But you're doing your best to imitate the kind of life you think Jesus would have you live. It doesn't ever come through but you keep on trying and then there's an intimate relationship. That relationship is one whereby you and Jesus Christ are own a personal one to one intimate, warm private fulfilling relationship of love and oneness teacher elicit what he said his 50 chapter John he said about me and I in you, he said at the branches. The bear fruit. What is it to do what is he talking about the many things he says that 15 chapter John but in essence these first eight verses deal of what a relationship he says abide in me, he says abide in me and I in you for the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in me, the whole idea is a relationship of the branch who is the believer to the vine, who is Jesus Christ that you notice he does not major on the fruit though he speaks of fruit more fruit and much fruit and he says that the ultimate objective all that branch is fruit bear, but everything that happens in the life of the branch goes back to the relationship reasons apart from me you can do nothing so that Jesus did not major on the work of producing fruit.

He majored on the relationship of abiding in him.

And if I am abiding in him in a proper relationship. I do not have to worry about fruitless air problem is we start examining the fruit. The fruit is love.

Joy Pease, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, and self-control. Now oftentimes we say, but I don't love everybody and I don't have peace. I don't have joint I'm not very meek and I'm not very patient, not in control. Why is it because what he's all that is inadequate. No is that we get on his struggling in our own strength from human resource rather than looking to the heavenly relationship. You see, the bond provides everything the branch needs in order to bear fruit for a branch doesn't produce fruit. A branch bears what the bond produces it except the runs and the bond runs the branch oneness. The second, the bond runs the branch runs the Salem in the grapes the same step in the great industry him in the branch in the bond. It's all one life and whenever you separate branch and bond you have the beginning of death in the life of the branch and you see he says the vitality of the believer's life is not in his ability to manipulate himself. But what to abide in Christ to live in him. Jesus Christ is to be everything he's to be the source of everything he's to be the center of everything, he is the be enough in our life they see you all talk to people sometime you asked mother Kristin. Oh yes, will tell me about your relationship with Jesus Christ. That's the end they don't have any earthly idea what you're talking about somebody told them the Jesus Christ that in somebody told them to believe in and they did that they did everything they need to do and they can't talk to you about the warmth of Jesus. They can't talk to you about knowing him.

His friend because they're not building a relationship. This relationship is an intimacy where you and he can share your hearts with each other and many people who naming the name of Jesus Christ have a wall between a wall of indifference and rebellion and disobedience between them and their God.

This, and you cannot build a relationship with Jesus Christ living in constant disobedience to him. And if you don't have a relationship with nothing else that you do is of any consequence whatsoever. He said abide in me, that is build a relationship with me whereby I can produce through you the fruit of the spirit to the branch doesn't produce it.

The bond produces it. And if you're frustrated because the part of the spirit is not in your life. It is because more than likely you're trying to do something he said you couldn't. Apart from me. He says you can do nothing.

The believers total security listen the believers. Total security is not in his works is total circuit is not even in his faith.

He is total security is in his relationship with Jesus Christ. Apart from that, he says we can't do anything. We don't have anything we are not worth anything, what are you worth. Apart from Jesus Christ, what have you ever done that had any lasting affect apart from him. What can you be apart from him when he's to be the center of everything, the source of everything he's living the fulfillment of everything in our life that you cannot be. It's interesting when you look at the Scriptures what our Lord said to three things look in John six chapter 17 promote what you notice he prayed this prayer about his apostles that he comes to verse 21 and he begins to talk about unity and oneness and harmony of believers is prayer was that we might build a relationship with each other and relationship with him.

Verse 21, that they may all be one, as valve father art in me and I in the that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou has sent me this. What is he saying he's praying oneness he's praying that we might have a relationship on watch this now a horizontal relationship with each other and what you notice what he said a horizontal relationship with each other. A vertical relationship with him. And if you notice what he said. He said that the world may believe that thou has sent me this all the working for God in the world minus relationship with him will not impress the world one bit watch this. Don't miss this in order for the world to be impressed and influence of the church of Jesus Christ. Those two relationships must be right by a horizontal relationship with my brother must be right. My vertical relationship with my father must be right. If those two are not right. The world is not going to be impressed. He says in order that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. If the world is going to believe in Jesus Christ, the world has got to see Jesus Christ in us, and they cannot see him and us unless we are building a relationship with him and with each other. Now what is the objective of God's building relationship about the three things to write these down number one. It is oneness, oneness with Christ oneness with Christ as his objective number two likeness to Christ likeness to Christ, and number three fullness of Christ. You see, he says abide in me, oneness with him likeness to him.

Fullness of him. He wants a relationship whereby you in the Lord Jesus Christ might be one with each other, harmony, unity, oneness of mine and that there might be the fullness and the likeness of Jesus Christ. Then the outside world looks into the heart of the believer and sees an intimate relationship with the living Christ.

Are you impressed with the dead God of some of the religion. No, and the unbelieving world until they see the living Christ within us.

They are not going to be impressed by Jesus Christ.

Visit the unbelieving world not impressed back by crosses on top of church.

The they're not impressed by crosses around your neck did not even impressed by religious books or television programs. They are impress and influence when they see the living relationship of Jesus Christ, having changed her man's life that they cannot deny that books them and stalks them and that confronts them and frustrates them and confuses them until their hearts are enlightened, they say something about that lady. Something about the developments different. What is it is not much work you do, it's the relationship, what is he saying he saying that he wants us to build a personal relationship with him whereby we might be one in Christ one in Christ likened to Christ and what just filled up with him. That's why some of God's greatest Saints don't stand behind Phobos don't stand before classes don't spend inquires. They are quiet believers whose life wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ and moment by moment, day by day in their growth in him there is a likeness and a reflection of him with in their phase that cannot be denied, and ask this. What is the supreme desire of your heart this morning. What is the one thing that goes to the one thing that brought you the one thing that motivates you. The one thing that pushes you the one thing that keeps driving what is the thing that magnetizing what is the thing that gets you up gets you going. I believe that it is the will of God that our relationship with him humble one. Check. Thank you for listening to the reality of relationship if you like to know more about Charles Stanley or intense ministries that my Internet started writing this podcast is a presentation of intense ministries Atlanta, Georgia