Religion or Relationship?

Religion or Relationship?

You can know a lot about a person without actually knowing or even meeting them. We may know a lot about a person maybe by reading about them or seeing stuff in the paper. For example, a lot of people know a lot about Coach Saban, but they don’t really know him. Same with Coach Chizik. You can also know a lot about the truth without ever really accepting it and making it your own. Likewise we can know a lot about Christianity without ever having a personal relationship with Christ.

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ Matthew 7:21-23

Christianity is based in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not a religion but a relationship with the creator God of eternity.

1. Knowing all the right stuff is not enough. Matthew 7:21

Many shall come to Jesus on the Day of Judgment and say “‘Lord! Lord!’ – acknowledging that Jesus is God. However, that will not be enough. Being a Christian is not just about knowing the truth. You can understand and know what the Bible says and yet not be saved.

There are non-believers that know the Bible better than most of us. They can debate us better than most and they can quote what the Bible says. They know it better than many Christians. That didn’t mean they accepted it. Even the devil knows that Jesus is Lord.

James, the brother of Jesus writes: What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. James 2:14-19

James is saying here that true faith has legs on it. True faith is not just believing something but stepping out and putting your hope and trust in it. It is not enough to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord – you must make Him YOUR Lord. It is one thing to know that salvation is a gift and another thing to accept that gift.

There are many people who are very wise and have studied and know the scriptures in great detail and yet they are going to hell. It does not matter what you know but what you do with what you know.

It is not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong;
not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich;
not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned;
and not what we profess but what we practice that makes us Christians.

A bus driver became annoyed with his job because he had to wait several minutes after every run near an open field which 'litterbugs' had made into an unofficial dump. He thought that somebody should do something about that unsightly mess. One day he himself decided to get out and pick up some of the tin cans and other debris which were lying all around. This improved things so much that he soon was eager to complete his route and spend all his free moments in cleaning up the area. When spring came, he was so enthusiastic about this project that he decided to sow some flower seeds. By the end of the summer people were riding to the end of the line just to see what the driver had accomplished by doing what he and others had only talked about before." The article reminds us of the tremendous gap that often exists in many churches between preaching and practice! Many who know what they believe cause us to wonder if they really believe what they know! An intellectual awareness of the truth is not enough. Belief must show fruit through actions.

How about us? How is our walk with Jesus going these days? In Revelations 2, we read the letter to the church in Ephesus congratulating them for their “hard work”. They had tested those who claimed to be apostles but were not. They believed the right things. Yet Jesus said, “You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” The warning was that God would remove the lampstand unless they repented – He would remove His Spirit.
2. Doing all the right things is not enough! Matthew 7:22

Jesus went on to say that MANY will come to Him on the Day of Judgment and point to their religious works as the basis for their acceptance to heaven. Being a Christian is not a matter of just doing the right things. The religions of the world are based on the works idea. The problem is that it does not make any sense.

Other religions base their chances of getting to their version of heaven on their works. Muslims believe that there are 2 angels that sit on your shoulders. One writes down all the good things you do and one writes down all the bad. When you stand before God the lists will be compared. If they have more good things than bad things you get in.
Suppose that God were to simplify matters and reduced the Bible to one command - you must jump 100 feet, straight up. We would say, "that's not fair God" or "that's impossible". But to save ourselves we need to try. Some of us, like me, may only jump 6 inches. Some might be able to jump six feet. But everyone would still be at least 94 feet short. Because we can't make the distance we begin to compare ourselves with others thinking that if we can just jump higher than someone else we are better off. But this doesn’t work. None of us reach the mark. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “..you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” AND the only way we can be perfect is through the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. We can’t do it ourselves.
Salvation should lead to good works - but it does not work the other way around. Good works does not lead to salvation. Our response to God for His saving grace in our lives prompts us to live for Him. Our faith is not something we do to earn our way into heaven. It is our response to what God has already done for us in saving us. There is a HUGE difference between the two.

How about us? What are we basing our relationship with God on? When you think about your faith are you quick to point out your deeds, or your relationship.

3. Does Jesus KNOW us and do we KNOW Him? It’s all about the relationship. Matthew 23

Jesus will say to many “I never knew you”. Being a Christian is about having a relationship with Jesus. It is getting to know Him and making yourself known to Him. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. You can know the truth and even live the truth but if you do not accept the gift then you do not own it.

We need to ask ourselves, do we KNOW God. Maybe you have been coming to church since before you were born. You have heard the stories and sung in the choir. Do you know Him? Not just intellectually but do you KNOW Him intimately – is your relationship marked by times spent together in conversation? Do you walk together and talk together? Do you hear His voice? Do you know Him?

The expression "face the music" is said to have originated from a story from Japan. There was a man in the imperial orchestra that couldn't play a note. Being a person of great influence and wealth, he had demanded that he be given a place in the group because he wanted to "perform" before the emperor. The conductor agreed to let him sit in the second row of the orchestra, even though he couldn't read music. He was given a flute, and when a concert would begin, he'd raise his instrument, pucker his lips, and move his fingers. He would go through all the motions of playing, but he never made a sound. This deception continued for years. Then a new conductor took over. He told the orchestra that he wanted to audition each player personally. One by one they performed for him and then came the flutist's turn. He was frantic with worry, so he pretended to be sick. However, the doctor who was ordered to examine him declared that he was perfectly well. The conductor insisted that the man appear and demonstrate his skill. Shamefacedly he had to confess that he was a fake. He was unable to "face the music." In the realm of Christian service, many professing believers go through the motions, but they are only pretenders. Someday they will be called upon to stand before the Judge of heaven and earth, and their deception will be revealed. God will then separate the "phonies" from the real Christians. No one will be able to hide in the crowd. Each will be made to "face the music."
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” Matthew 25:31-33