Title: Moving from Religion to Relationship
Theme: To show the importance of a person not just having a religion but a relationship with God
Text: John 3:1-19
Introduction
I told you we were beginning an 8-week series on Authentic Christianity. We began by talking about the 10 virgins 5 who were wise and 5 who were foolish. We established a couple of principles that are easily understood from scripture. 1. The Lord is coming back, this is a common understanding of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. 2. Those who are ready will meet him and those who are not will not. 3. We must not allow ourselves to sleep, although it seems that much of the church around us is sleeping. 4. There is a large comparison of our relationship with God and marriage.
This Sunday we are going to continue the thought of Authentic Christianity. If you would turn in your Bibles to John 3:1. I will read John 3:1-3
Joh 3:1-3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. (2) This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (3) Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Joh 3:1-21 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
Luk 11:37-54 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. (38) When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. (39) Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. (40) "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? (41) "But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. (42) "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. (43) "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. (44) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them." (45) Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also." (46) And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (47) "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. (48) "In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. (49) "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' (50) "that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, (51) "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. (52) "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered." (53) And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, (54) lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.
(2) This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (3) Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
See - 1) to see 1a) to perceive with the eyes 1b) to perceive by any of the senses
1c) to perceive, notice, discern, discover
1e) to experience any state or condition
2) to know 2a) to know of anything 2b) to know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive 2b1) of any fact
2b2) the force and meaning of something which has definite meaning
2b3) to know how, to be skilled in
2c) to have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to (1Th_5:12)
Strongs – consider, known, look on, perceive, understand,
Jesus was trying to get Nicodemus to “see” perceive, something. Deeper that what he could see with his natural eyes.
(4) Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (5) Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
This had to get Nicodemus attention. Now he was moving from seeing to entering in. Most people are not concerned about seeing God’s kingdom here on earth they manily want to know if they are going to heaven. If they are going to heaven then they feel everything else is ok. The problem is when we separate the two. We make our selves believe that what we do here on earth has no impact on what will happen in eternity. Yet this is not true.
Rom 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Moving from Religion to Relationship. Moving from the natural to the supernatural.
Intro: The word “religion” has really gotten a bad rap in modern history. It is almost a dirty word to some. Maybe you’ve heard some of these phrases before: “Oh, you got religion!” “Don’t shove your religion on me!” “I am not a religious person!” Even in the church we have tried to distance ourselves from the word “religion.” We say, “Christianity is not about religion, it is about relationship!” I agree with the relationship part, but I’d like to make peace between the two words today by joining them together. Thus, the title, “Relational Religion.”
-See, the word religion in James refers to “ceremonial observance, or worship.” Throughout the history of the church, we have adopted rituals or ceremonies that help us express our faith and worship God in various ways. The Bible is filled with ceremonies and observances that helped people remember who God was and how to respond appropriately to Him. The only time these ceremonial observances or rituals of worship are unhelpful or even repulsive is when they are divorced from relationship. If we just go through the motions of worship with no heart or love for God or man, then our worship is in vain. Jesus addressed this issue and quoted from Isaiah to wake people up from dead religion: Mark 7:6-7 6He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”
-Well, I sure don’t want my worship to be in vain. I want to experience God for who He is and allow Him to make me who He wants me to be. Here’s the main thought today:
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Religion vs. Relationship
By: Anthony Williams (July 2010)
What’s the difference ? Connection
Webster’s Dictionary defines religion as “The service and worship of God or the supernatural; commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.”
Webster Dictionary defines relationship as “A connection by blood or marriage; kinship; a particular type of connection existing between people related to or having dealings with each other.”
While religion does create a platform and sanctuary for those whom share the same beliefs and practices; it will not connect you with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Marriage – relationship
(6) "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (8) "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
There are elements that we just accept by faith.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
NLT 1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.
(9) Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" (10) Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? (11) "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
(12) "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? (13) "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (14) "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (15) "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Crux of the Gospel Message
(16) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Eph 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
A Change of Heart
(17) "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
G2919 κρίνω krinō
Thayer Definition:
1) to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose
2) to approve, esteem, to prefer
3) to be of opinion, deem, think, to be of opinion
4) to determine, resolve, decree
5) to judge 5a) to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong
5a1) to be judged, i.e. summoned to trial that one’s case may be examined and judgment passed upon it
5b) to pronounce judgment, to subject to censure
5b1) of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds and words of others
6) to rule, govern 6a) to preside over with the power of giving judicial decisions, because it was the prerogative of kings and rulers to pass judgment
7) to contend together, of warriors and combatants
7a) to dispute
7b) in a forensic sense
7b1) to go to law, have suit at law
Sermon on the mount is a rebuttal of condemnation.
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
Lu 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.
Joh 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
They Make the choice
(18) "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture
Ac 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
This is God’s way through God’s man. It is not as if there is any other way. So this relationship is based in Christ. Not religion. God has provided the way.
Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
Before the temple priest, the religious leaders Peter spoke these words
Act 4:10-12 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. (11) "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' (12) "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Where does condemnation come from?
(19) "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (21) "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Conclusion
Where are you? Are you still operating on Religion. Do you believe because you are a good person you will go the heaven? Or do you have a real relationship with the Lord. My goal this morning is to challenge those who know Christi and those who don’t. Even if you know Him you need to be careful of the religious spirit.
