Define the Relationship

This edition of PowerPoint with a little later in the program will tell you how you got moments were first here's the message defining the relationship now as 20 something year old single what BPR is and they are likely to be able to tell you if you're under 30, your single I know you know what DDR me valve some of you are scratching your head because you don't know that DTR which shows up often in the conversation of young adults. The day stands for define the relationship now.

That's what young adults. Today they they have these talks. You see, after they've been going out a while or hanging together for a little bit they have these conversations in which they try to figure out if our friendship is becoming a relationship is. Is this going anywhere. Or is it going somewhere or is it going nowhere.

Are we just hanging out.

Are we just friends or is this something else. Is this something more. Are we really a couple are we really committed DTR buying the relation. It is a call for relational polarity. Now, the very mention of DTR will make some young guys twitch and double the pulse rate of some young gal because you see there's there's no such thing as having just a little DTR is so big deal when you define the relationship if you talk about talk it through and discover if you are committed are not well. I believe this is a good time for all of us to have a DTR spiritual DTR to define the relationship because you see Christ is constantly calling us and compelling us to commitment. He is always racing's for a decision regarding that relationship.

You don't have just a little DTR with Jesus. People didn't enter the presence of Christ have a conversation walk away. The Saints Leo, well that was a nice talk with Jesus. He was constantly inviting people, imploring us to define the relationship he would say things like, are for me or are you against me once after feeding the 5000 and the multitude those who had come for the great miracle been blessed by the presence of Jesus.

And yet when the miracles ended. They walked away and Jesus looked at those who remain just a few his disciples and he had a DTR with them. He said will you also go away. That was when Simon Peter said, Lord, to whom will we go.

You have the words of eternal life. Later, when Peter denied the Lord and failed him miserable.

Jesus went to the cross he died and rose again and then he met the disciples there by the sea of Galilee and once again, Jesus had a DTR this time. Personally was Simon Peter. So much of the focus is upon this man who had failed and the recovery of the restoration of his life and and Jesus sensing down and they have a Simon, do you love me but you know I love Simon, do you love me, Lord, you know, I have this fond affection for you, Simon, do you love me, Lord, you know all things you know I love you. And then Jesus called him and commissioned him again.

Jesus is always defining the relationship both at the outset of our relationship with him and throughout our days constantly. He is saying. Define where you are with me, follow me come after me, do you love me. Are you seeking me again. If you are serious about your relationship with God in Jesus Christ. And there are times in which you must sit down before him and defined that relationship over and over again. Jesus is saying follow me deny yourself, pick up your cross so today let's just have a DTR which eats take your Bibles and turn to Colossians chapter 3, I often take passages of Scripture and put them to memory and I'm endeavoring to memorize the third chapter of Colossians a passage that he is driving home to my heart. In these days. I could've called this message in Christ alone because that is the content of this passage of Scripture. Look at verse one if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears that you also will appear with him in glory, and then scan down to the end of verse 11 but Christ is all and in all. Christ is all, Christ is our life, is the source of our life. The strength of our life. The sustenance and the satisfaction of our lot, the sufficiency of online D is the security of our lives. Christ is our life now.

Can you say that.

Can you say Jesus Christ is my life. Life is what you are alive.

If you talk to a little child about ice cream that's I will come a lot if you talk to the sports fan that sports fan will come alive. What we are alive to that is our life, and if we are all alive in Jesus Christ who is our life, we will live in him.

Paul said this kind of thing all descent for to me to live is Christ Jesus.

Of course, introduce that whole thing to us when he said I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the father except by me. Jesus said I've come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.

And this is eternal life to know the father and his son Jesus Christ's receipt.

Christianity is not believing certain things about life, but receiving Jesus who is life.

The Christian faith is Christ, and if you don't have Jesus you don't have line you can know about God. You can have your head full of facts about Christianity. The Christian faith and even Christ. You can have knowledge about Jesus and not know Jesus.

And if you don't know Jesus. You don't know life you just existing.

Christ is our life, all in Jesus, and Jesus is all and Jesus is the one who elevates us and motivates us.

He is our aspiration and inspiration in life and I don't mind telling you that it is my prayer and passion in life that I can say Christ is my life. Jesus excites me. Jesus thrills me. He is my all and all in Christ alone. We stand and if we say Christ is all and in all that what we read in the first two verses will be absolutely true in our lives.

There are two active verbs in the first two verses that I want you to note verse one. If you have been raised with Christ, and actually the if there is a sense, then you have been raised with Christ, because this is true you have in your position in Christ been raised in him then what see the things that are above note that verbs seek and this is an active seeking is an intense seeking. It is a continual seeking keep on seeking the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God and then in verse two. There's another verb and that bird is set set your minds on things that are above, not on thing on the earth once again active in continuous seeking and set the seeking has to do with our aims in life are ambitions in life and setting our affections up on things above has to do with well our affections are desired.

Using the range with pricing those things which are above your listening to PowerPoint project Graham in today's message defining the relationship when you set aside daily time to connect with God to give you the ability to live a godly life and fulfill his plans for you in the coming year and we'd like to help me walk even more closely with the Lord in your head by sending you pastor grams 180 day devotional moments in the word.

It's our way to thank you for your gift today to help proclaim the gospel to more people around the world to PowerPoint. This is the last week of this offer to come today: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627 can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131 text PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org shop RV store give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email to our website again is Jack Graham.Ward now it's get back today's message defining the relationship, seek the things which are above and not those things which are below, not earlier in this magnificent letter to the Colossians in chapter 2 we see some of the things that are below and I would just mention these to you briefly this morning.

This is in contrast to seeking those things which are above. For example, in verse eight of Colossians chapter 2 look at it see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty conceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to this refers to the elitism, the intellectualism of the world philosophy without Christ is foolishness. There is no way of life. There's no viewpoint that this world offers, apart from Christ. Christ alone Christ in all is our life. And yet we live in a generation is in most generations in which man seeks to know more and more about less and less, and certainly intellectually we are brilliant in our times, and we see the advances of technology and otherwise science and so on.

And yet we're still facing the ultimate problems of life that we cannot solve. So what we do we get in circles and we have conversations that so often we're simply repeating I listen to me. We are repeating what the world says rather than what the word says and millions of people are sucking up the ideas and the ideologies at the philosophies and the reasonings of this world and the Scripture says it is not in Christ is foolishness. Don't subject yourself.

Don't seek after the things of this world, but seek after Christ and Christ alone. But then he speaks out the ritualism of this world down to verse 14 for example by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands now have to really pay attention on these verbs really go down deep and stayed out a little while on this by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, speaking of Christ nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by trying something over them.

There's a reference back in verse 13 to the circumcision of the flesh and the un-circumcision of the flesh, and so on is talking about religious rituals. Many in this price because they simply go through the motions. They said they stand, they kneel they pray they genuflect by walk-in church.

I walk out of church the same way they came in they have a form of Christ, but deny his power and all of these rituals that are referred to in this passage of Scripture. These religious expressions. Paul says there like chasing shadows. Look at verse 16. Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you and questions of food and drink, or in regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are shadow a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Rice. In other words, so much of religious ritual and religious expression is not the reality of Christ, but the shadow of religion ever seen a dog chasing up the shadow of a bird and yet so many are chasing shadows today.

The Christian faith is Christ in Christ alone. There is a place for religious expression. There is a place for ritual and tradition in our faith but never as a substitute for the reality of that relationship. Then he speaks of mysticism or asceticism down in verse 18 verse 18 of chapter 2.

Let no one disqualify you. Insisting on asceticism and worship of angels going on in detail with about visions and puffed up without reasons by his sensuous mind and not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body is nourished, and that together through its joints and ligaments as it grows with the growth that is from God.

Paul was dealing with an ancient religion known as Gnosticism. That was the religion in question here. It was a style of mysticism and even the new ageism worship of angels and so forth. It was a very worldly religion and Jesus came to liberate us to set us free from religion without him and any religion that is absent of the person of Jesus Christ hear me is a false religion. Why, because Christ and Christ alone is all he is in all and he is all and then he says don't seek intellectualism though seek ritualism don't seek mysticism asceticism.

Then he said don't don't seek God through legalism.

That's what verses 20 to 23 are about it with Christ you died, to the elemental spirits of the world. Why is it as if you were still alive in the world do you submit to regulation.

What regulations do not handle. Do not taste do not touch, referring to things that all perish as they are used.

According to human precepts and teachings.

These indeed what's this, these indeed have an appearance of wisdom in promoting self made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the Belgians of the flesh. Now you will be closer to God. Walk closer to Christ. How are you to go about that but I have a new set of rules that I'm going to keep touch not taste not handle not which the Scripture says is really a show of wisdom.

It is a false humility.

It is not worship simply to say I don't do this and I don't do that that may satisfy my flash but it doesn't honor God. If all you have in your religion is a list to live on. I don't do this. I don't do that. I keep certain laws. I keep certain rules.

Maybe you got sort of the dirty dozen, and you live by this I don't because I don't use profanity in an auto commit adultery and and I go to church and whatever it may be on your list that won't make you one suspect more like Jesus Christ. If all you're doing is living off the what policy is what the Scripture is say that the Christian faith is not legalism. The devil doesn't care what you seek as long as it is in Jesus and let me tell you, you don't become more like Jesus Christ by what you don't do now.

Certainly there's some things that we don't do because we are building and their commandments to keep in their principles by which we should all live but if all you have you rules you are nothing but a Pharisee if you don't have the life of Jesus Christ. You see is not a legal relationship that we have in Christ. It is a love relationship. What did Jesus say about following him.

John 1423 Jesus answered and said to him.

If anyone loves me. If anyone loves me, he will keep my work.

So the way to get closer to Jesus is to fall in love with him to have a passion for him to love him with all your heart mind soul and strength and to follow him as he calls you, then to obedience.

We fall in love with Jesus and then live in obedience to Jesus as he enables us. So if you want to live a Christian life. If you want to be strong in your faith. They grow up in price this year than forget about the intellectualism of this world. Forget about the rituals of this world and the asceticism in the mysticism and yes, the legalism of life and you say Christ you are my all. You are my passion.

You are my purpose. You are my love, you are my life, seek those things which are set your affection on things which are seated there with Christ, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things will be added just as a compass always points, nor the direction of the believer is always pointed towards him, take up land inputted by a window and watch that plan been toward the sun and that photosynthesis takes place as the light feels that plant with life. May we have a defining moment today to define our relationship with Jesus Christ.

So ask yourself, am I in Christ are not ask God, nor do we have a relationship are we just hanging out in my just hanging out and I just some of you are just sort of you you you you date God on Sunday when you feel you have a relationship that is read this going there listening to PowerPoint project and in today's message defining the relationship. Looking ahead to a new year can fill you with expectation. They can also fill you with desperation if things get worse. But if the world gets crazier.

But if you don't have the strength to face what comes your way. It's their spending daily time in God's word that we find the strength, peace and hope. We need and we want to help you do that by sending you pastor Graham's 180 day devotional moments in the way moments in the word is our special thanks for your gift this month.

This is the last week of this offer to call today: 800-7956 27 that's one 800-7954 67.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313-1316 PowerPoint 31 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org shop store online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email our website again is Jack Graham.Pastor, what is your PowerPoint today is a good day to have a virtual DTR define the relationship with Christ. In fact, I believe every person he calls himself a Christian should take stock and evaluate where they are with Christ on a regular basis. The apostle Paul said examine your own lives.

Jesus is constantly calling us to commitment to define our relationship with him. He wants to know is he is often said are you with me or are you against me. Do we really have a relationship or do you want to just date me on Sundays and my just a friend with benefits or do we really have something that's real something that's relational something that is forever. So many people treat God as though he's a distant relative, rather than a vital part of their lives. But Jesus refuses to let us get away with that in our relationship with him. You know when people in the Bible came face-to-face with Jesus. They can walk away. The same they were dramatically transform some for good or some forbade some receive Christ son rejected Christ but everyone who came in the contact with Jesus was powerfully influenced by him. You can never escape the person of Christ that rich young ruler had a DTR with Jesus when Jesus called them to follow him fully, but that man went away sorrowfully with the storm of his soul rejecting Christ because he couldn't handle the commitment so what about you, is it time that you have a DTR with Jesus Christ that you define your relationship with him. Are you a follower of Christ are not just like Jesus asked the disciples after he fed the multitudes in John chapter 6, he's asking you are you with me. Are you willing to walk with me every day of the week, not just on Sundays is my prayer that you will define your relationship with Jesus today that you will commit your love and your life to his Lordship to his will and to his ways in your life and that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you get to PowerPoint will send Graham 180 day moments were call 1800-7946 271-800-7954 67 also text the word PowerPoint 11 PowerPoint join us again next time. Dr. Graham brings a message about the question you can ask answer that's next on PowerPoint with PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint ministries