Knowing Jesus Impacts Your Relationship with God
August 31, 2002
Knowing Jesus has an incredible impact on your relationship with yourself. We looked at that a few weeks back, and, from what I’ve heard in comments, what we looked at was very helpful to a lot of you. That’s great and I hope it continues to be that. You are not junk, but are a very special and significant child of God and need to look at yourself that way, even as God does. You have to take the responsibility to bring your thoughts into proper captivity to Jesus, so that you’ll be viewing yourself appropriately.
Knowing Jesus has an incredible impact on your relationship with those significant people who share life with you. So often, we bite and devour one another, but this ought not to be. The responsibility lies with you to improve your relationships with others. As a Christian, you are the one to take the first step, and the second, and the third, toward those better relationships.
Knowing Jesus has an incredible impact on your relationship with God. However, in this case, you’re not the one upon whom the responsibility lies for the first step- for second and third steps, likely, but not for the first. In fact, it is only through Jesus that you and I can have a relationship with God.
Notice something that we are told in Hebrews 4. 14-16- Because of Jesus we have some ready access to God. This tells us that without Jesus, we wouldn’t. So we have to appreciate that knowing Jesus has a major- major- impact on our relationship with God. Jesus is pivotal- key- central- to that relationship for us today. Without Him, there would be no relationship between you and God.
So, what’s a high priest for anyway? He was one who acted on behalf of the people, in the OT tabernacle system- seen most notably in the ceremony of the ancient Day of Atonement- Lev. 16. But notice where a high priest has to come from:
Heb. 5. 1-5- he comes from the people, and is able to identify with the people. Think about our High Priest, Jesus. He came here and lived entirely as a person. He experienced what we experience. He grew up in a village and learned the family business. He had to help with meals and cleanup, with housecleaning and caring for any animals the family owned. He was polite to the adults who came into the family home, and did as his parents directed. He never got sick, but he was well aware of the childhood sicknesses of friends, and he felt some of their hurt. What you and I lived in our growing up, Jesus lived. As an adult, He understood the range of emotions that we can feel- He was ridiculed and revered, put down and lifted up- all just like you and me. He walked where and as we walk in our lives. He’s been in our shoes. A high priest HAD to be someone who had been in our shoes- He didn’t have to have done everything anyone might have done- that would be impossible- there’s not time in one life to make all mistakes. (Saw an interesting plaque, though, in a restaurant in Saskatoon- it said ‘some mistakes are too much fun to only make once’.) He had to be able to ‘feel’ for the people- to empathize- not to be ‘above’ the people. Empathy draws people to someone- our guest speaker at Conference was Phil Zylla- and he drew people to him. He had 17 years of pastoral experience, as well as several years of teaching pastors, through the seminary in which he now is. He has a 10 year old daughter with a very serious ailment. His tears were genuine, at many points of his day-long presentation, and it helped a lot of us to have genuine tears, too- something that can be so very healing. We are NOT drawn to someone who seems to be perfect and have everything together. Although Jesus was perfect and had everything together, He didn’t come across that way. He drew people to Himself- which is the way He said it would be:
John 12.32- very exciting idea- Jesus draws to Himself. And in drawing to Himself, He draws to God- John 14.9.
Back to Heb. 4. 14-16- Jesus is on your side. Haven’t there been times in life when you’ve wanted someone to intervene for you? Haven’t you had some times when knowing someone has helped you in some way- maybe to get a deal or a slight advantage in some situation? I think we’ve all known that kind of thing at one time or another. Well, we do know someone significant- and that’s Jesus. HE intervenes with the Father- the God of everything- for you… and me.
We’re told that Jesus is where to go to find ‘grace to help’ when you need it. That can be so wonderful. Have you ever had to ask someone for some money, because you found yourself a bit short? Someone extended grace to you in time of need. What about the person who gives some gasoline to someone who has run out on the road? That’s grace to help in time of need. What about the friend who gives up study time to help someone else get through exam preparation? That’s grace to help in time of need. The situations are so many- but the help is there. What about your needs? What are they? Just think a bit about them right now- a few minutes for some reflection and prayer- you’re told to go boldly for help in time of need. (Ps. 138. 7, 8).
Pause
And you’re told you will obtain mercy. What is this mercy? We think of it in the same realm as pardon or a softer and lighter judgment. But there’s another significant meaning- Psalm 136- mercy is repeated several times and it refers to God’s covenant love- His unfailing love! ‘Hesed’ is the Hebrew word for this, and it doesn’t mean what we often think of ‘mercy’ as meaning. God’s unfailing covenant love will be readily available to you- just go and be bold.
What about this ‘going boldly’? You don’t have to ‘go’ anywhere to do this. Jesus is already right there with you and all you have to do is call out ‘Lord’ and he’ll come to you. At such a time, that’s a good approach- wisdom and beauty of our baptismal ceremony- includes all that Jesus is- not just that He’s a ‘buddy’.
How do you get that mercy and grace to help? How do you get that access to God?
Cling to Jesus and never stop trusting Him. How you might ask? There are at least 4 ways to be doing this:
1. study and reading of the Word
2. prayer
3. church and fellowship- meeting with people who are God with skin on.
4. Lord’s Supper- get to physically handle and hold onto Jesus, as He directed and instructed.
Knowing Jesus is the principal thing. There is nothing more fundamental than that. I’m not just talking about knowing some facts about Jesus, that are true, but am talking about a relationship that each of us has with Him which opens wonderful avenues for blessing to each of us. Oh, how can we do anything but adore and worship and bless and honour Jesus!
Let’s do that right now, and through that, get to extend a bit more to the Father.
