What Is A Relationship With Jesus Christ?

Mr. Oliver mentioned the Winter Family Weekend, and the enjoyment that comes from that. The sermonette was on the topic of fellowship, and I would just echo sentiments on that. Our family went to Portland for the Northwest Weekend, and Kendra came along with us as well, which was very enjoyable. As I mentioned in my email I sent out yesterday, just the fellowship, the interaction, the ability to participate in all the activities together was very encouraging and uplifting. On Friday after the weekend, all the Northwest pastors that were there gathered in the home of the Sexton's and basically had a day-long session with Rex Sexton and Bob Dick just conveying information and experiences learned in their years of the ministry.

Mr. Sexton has mentioned before that it wasn't long ago he was the youngest minister in the Northwest, and in a very short period of time he is now the oldest. So there's this little transformation that's taken place, and as one of the younger ministers, I do appreciate what it is they're willing to share and pass on. So we did head out Tuesday evening after those pastor meetings. We arrived home in the early AM hours of Wednesday, and as we got settled back into home next morning, got up and around, and I thought, you know, I really need to turn my attention to the sermon here this Sabbath, and began thinking of a topic and starting down the road on what I wanted to speak on today.

And a few hours later in the afternoon, as I've been considering a few things, I received a phone call from a friend of mine who's also a fellow church pastor, and in the course of the conversation he asked the question, he said, what does it mean to have a relationship with Jesus Christ? And he says, you know, I see from Scripture that we are to have such, that Scripture shows clearly a relationship with Jesus Christ is intended, but what does that mean?

You know, what does it look like? And and we spent a little time just thinking and considering that. How would you answer that question? What does it mean to have a relationship with Jesus Christ? Because we know we must have one with him. That is not a Protestant concept, brethren. It is a biblical concept, but unfortunately sometimes biblical concepts can get stretched far beyond the bounds of what the intent was. But it does indeed show us from Scripture we must be delving into this relationship. What does it mean? What does it look like? What does it mean to have a relationship with Jesus Christ? The interesting thing about that conversation and the question that came up was, after we got off the phone, I kind of went my way continuing down the path of the topic that I was looking to talk about today.

And as I got into it, I discovered that the very topic I was pursuing answered the question. And for me, that's not just random coincidence. That is, that is of God. Again, there are things related to this topic God would like us to understand. It's really not too difficult for us to understand the concept of having a relationship with God the Father. You know, each and every day, hopefully, we get on our knees before Him.

We come boldly before His throne of grace. We have direct access to God the Father. And I think we can understand that relationship conceptually because of our physical families that God has created. And He created that for a purpose as well. But we can, by type through the family, understand this Father-Child relationship. We understand that when we come before God, He is our Father, and we are His children.

So again, in a very basic way, we understand what that means in type through our physical families. But when we consider titles pertaining to Jesus Christ, such as Lord, Master, High Priest, Advocate, King, Savior, Messiah, and there are many others, when we consider those titles and positions that He holds, maybe the concept of what it means to have a relationship with Him becomes a little bit fuzzy.

Again, Parent-Child, that's pretty direct for us. But, you know, High Priest, Advocate, those things maybe tend to get blurred in our mind. And yet, we're not going to do this today, but if you study through each of those titles and those positions that Jesus Christ holds, indeed there is relationship between us and Him in that. This is not going to be a message about how we should start praying to Jesus Christ.

He set the example. The disciple said, Lord, teach us to pray. And he said, you know, our Father in heaven. We direct our prayers to God the Father in heaven in Jesus Christ's name. So this is not a sermon about praying to Jesus Christ. But have you really considered what it means to have a relationship with Him and what that might look like? At least want to explore one avenue of that today. Scripture tells us that if we love Jesus Christ, not just know Him or know about Him or know who He was in terms of being our Savior, but if we love Jesus Christ, that we will be loved by the Father.

So that's expressing a very deep and a personal and an intimate relationship to love somebody. That is a relationship. And the Bible describes it as such. A few questions for us to consider as we get started today. Did the 12 disciples have a relationship with Jesus?

I think the answer to that is pretty straightforward. Yes, they did. They, for over three years plus of His ministry, from the point He said, follow Me, they walked with Him, they talked with Him, they ate, they slept with Him, they endured hardship with Him, and they learned by His example they indeed had a relationship with Him, a very intimate and personal relationship. Consider this question. What was the purpose of that relationship? What was the purpose of the relationship between the disciples and Jesus Christ? I'll leave you to think about that as we go through the message today. And third question for us to consider here at the start was, was their relationship with God the Father impacted by their relationship with Jesus Christ?

In other words, as they spent time with Him and interacted with Him and observed His example, did that relationship with Him impact their relationship with God the Father? And as we'll see, clearly the answer is yes. So today that leads me to the topic that I had already been thinking on and going down the path of before my friend called. One of the major ways, brethren, that we can have a relationship with Christ is summed up in one word, and that is discipleship. Discipleship. In our calling from God, you and I are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master, and I'm going to throw another term at you, as our rabbi, okay, that's largely a Jewish term, but Christ was called by rabbi all throughout the Gospels. It means teacher. When we accept Him as our Lord, our Master, our Teacher, and we acknowledge our position as His disciples, then we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ that positively impacts, as well, our relationship with God the Father. And we'll see that as we go through the message today. We're going to look at the concept today of discipleship. What does it mean? What does it look like? How does it function? And what impact does it have on our day-to-day Christian walk today? What we're going to see first off in this is that if our relationship with Jesus Christ is struggling or is dysfunctional, then our relationship with God the Father will be struggling and dysfunctional as well. Jesus Christ is not the center of everything. That's important for us to understand. And they say that in terms of when you... it's not like all roads lead to Jesus Christ and you look no farther beyond that. Because when you look to Christ, He is pointing us where? To His Father. He said, I came to reveal the Father to... when you see Me, you see what He is like. You see what living His ways are like. And He says, I came to reveal the Father so that you will know more deeply and more intimately Him and Me. So Jesus Christ is not the center of everything and it goes no further. But we must also understand that Jesus Christ is central to God's plan of salvation because God has established such Himself. And so the point is, when we look to our Savior Christ, He is pointing us to the Father. And yet we must still look to Him. In this relationship, we must look to Him. Let's begin today in Acts 4, Acts 4 and verse 11.

Acts 4, 11. It says, this is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Speaking of Jesus, verse 12, it says, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. What this tells us is that, apart from Jesus Christ, salvation is not offered to us, nor is it even possible. Apart from the Messiah coming to die for our sins, reconcile us to God the Father, apart from Him, salvation is not offered, nor is it even possible. There's no other way to be reconciled to God except through Jesus Christ. That is not my word. That is the Word of God. Again, no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. As in, you cannot make an end run around Jesus Christ and say, I'll just go straight to the Father, you know, straight to the source. God will not accept that. God has sent His Son as a sacrifice by which we will be reconciled in relationship to Him. There is no way around a relationship with Jesus Christ that leads to a relationship in this reconciled sense with God the Father. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning in verse 1.

Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1. Again, the point is we do look to Christ. Hebrews 12 verse 1, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, those heroes of faith from Hebrews 11, let us lay aside every weight, the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Let us live this Christian life diligently, seeking and yearning for the kingdom of God. Verse 2, looking unto who? Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him, him who? Jesus Christ, who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. And so we do look to Jesus Christ as central to God's plan of salvation for all of mankind. That doesn't mean we don't look to the Father, but it does mean we don't look past his Son in this process. We must still look to him.

If you and I are going to have a relationship with God the Father, again, we cannot and we must not bypass the process of having a relationship with Jesus Christ as well, because it is the relationship that the Father has established through which we are reconciled to him.

This isn't simply a relationship where we say, you know, I accept that Jesus died for me, you know, open and shut, and on we go. You know, when someone is baptized, we ask the question right at the beginning, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? But there's more to it than just saying, oh yes, Christ is my Savior, and on you go. And we understand that. There is the understanding of who he was and what he stood for in obedience and faith in his sacrifice. This relationship, brethren, on our end is called discipleship. Discipleship. So let's talk today about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and what that working relationship looks like. Because it is an active and a working relationship, the moment it would become a stale or a dormant relationship would be the moment as well that our relationship with the Father is in peril. First off, the term disciple literally means a learner. A learner. It's someone who learns from another. And what we understand in terms of being a learner is that it is actually more than simply being a pupil. You know, a pupil can show up in a classroom setting, listen to the teacher teach for an hour or two, take it or leave it, and get up and be on their way. But a learner in terms of the disciples is not someone who only learns from the teacher, but they seek to emulate the teacher. They seek to be just like the teacher. And what we see, this goes beyond head knowledge. This goes to what is actionable. Our conduct, our actions become just as the teacher.

The Vines New Testament Word Search defines the Greek word that's translated discipleship as literally a learner. It says it denotes one who follows one's teaching. A disciple was not only a pupil but an adherent. So you adhere to the teachings and to the examples and follow those things. It says, hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher. So again, what this word means is that those who are disciples of Christ don't just acknowledge what he said and did. They actually follow his example. They walk as he walked. They learn to imitate what it is that he did. And in this teacher-learner relationship, Jesus literally tells us and shows us the way to go.

And in this relationship, our response to him is to adhere to his example. Let's go to the book of Luke, this time chapter 6. Luke chapter 6 and verse 39. We're going to run through a number of scriptures and the Gospels today, many passages which Jesus Christ himself expressed. Luke chapter 6 and verse 39. It says, and he spoke a parable to them, saying, Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? You're saying, so be careful here who your teachers are, because you don't want to end up off course or in the wrong place. And indeed, God places heavy accountability on those who he would appoint as teachers. Verse 40, he says, A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And so it's not like if you're a disciple now, you're going to excel your teacher and be above your teacher, and now he's going to learn from you. But the point is, in this relationship, the disciple learns from the teacher for the purpose of becoming just like the teacher.

Beyond head knowledge, again, this is walking as he walks. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we don't just simply study the Word of God for head knowledge and the teachings of him. Rather, we are to be learning to be just like him, to act just like him, to speak just like him, and to live our lives each and every day just like him. A true disciple of Jesus Christ is completely devoted to God, just as Christ was, and they follow the example that he set.

If you study through the Gospel accounts, there's a phrase that you'll notice is repeated over and over and over in many places. That phrase is, follow me. Follow me. It was spoken by Jesus Christ, you know, as he comes into Galilee, and he sees a couple of fishermen there on the shore mending his nets, and he calls to them, and he says, you follow me. It was as he was going about his way, and now you have Matthew, a tax collector. Follow me. Christ implored his disciples, those that would hear his voice and listen, to follow me. And again, it's an example that we see with the Twelve, that during his ministry they accompanied him, they traveled with him, ate with him, slept with him, listened to what he taught, and they learned. Through that relationship, the disciples learned from Jesus Christ how to pray. I mentioned earlier, they said, Lord, teach us to pray. And he said, okay, this is the manner in which you are to pray. And he taught them to pray. Through their interactions with them, they learned how to meditate, how to handle God's Word and to understand it, how to teach it and apply it, because Christ modeled those things. And so, when we learn from the Scripture, again, it can't just be head knowledge. And I would say in this case, specifically the Gospel accounts where we read about the life and the teachings of Jesus Christ, he becomes our rabbi today as well. He becomes our teacher. He becomes the one we seek to model. Because all through the Scripture, we have the words of God, we have the commandments, we have it told, here is how you must live, but Jesus Christ came to model how you live, to demonstrate what this way of life looks like, because up to that point, nobody had done it perfectly. In fact, all of mankind had fallen short, and he came as the model that demonstrated what it is that God was conveying to his people. He came to show them how to live, and you and I look to him as our teacher, as the one that we model, as one who we seek to live according to the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ. It is a teacher-learner relationship, and it goes both ways. Our relationship with God the Father is dependent on our relationship with the Son. Notice John 16, verse 26.

John 16, verse 26, in the words of Jesus Christ, he says, In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray to the Father for you. So the point he's making is when you pray, you pray directly to God the Father. You know, he's saying, you don't pray to me and ask me to go pray to God on your behalf. He says, you pray to the Father in my name. Verse 27, For the Father himself loves you, notice why, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from God. The Scripture tells us that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son. Okay, so God first loved us before we loved him. But talking about this reconciled relationship that moves now to a different form of love, where he becomes our Father and we become his children, in that reconciled form of love, Christ said, The Father loves you because you first loved me, and believed that I came forth from him.

That in this relationship, we have come together with Christ and we are reconciled through his sacrifice to the Father. Again, verse 27, For the Father himself loves you because you have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from God.

Our relationship with the Father is dependent on our relationship and love towards the Son as well. And there's no other way around it. The two go hand in hand. You cannot bypass the one and seek the other. That will not be accepted. John 14, back just a couple of pages.

John 14 and verse 19, he says, A little while longer, and the world will see me no more. But you will see me because I live, you will live also. Verse 20, he says, So a couple things that we notice here. One, a disciple of Jesus Christ will keep his commandments. A disciple of Jesus Christ will keep his commandments. Now, we have commandments from God all throughout Scripture from the beginning to the end. Christ also came to magnify the law, to show forth the law by his example. He also took the law and, as I said, magnified it. Took it up to another level in terms of what our understanding should be. The same commandment says, don't commit adultery. Christ said, but I say to you, if you look at a woman and lust after her, you've committed adultery. Don't even do that. Do not kill. Do not murder. But I tell you, if you hate your brother in your heart, you've committed murder. And so, when we obey his commandments as he brought them as well, it is a sign that we love him, and indeed we are his disciples. It's a demonstrative action. And then he goes on to say, if we love Jesus Christ, then we will be loved by the Father as well. Again, it's in this reconciled relationship which comes through his sacrifice.

Verse 21 again, he who has my commandments and keeps them, if he is he who loves me, he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. Sounds like a relationship to me. Loving Jesus Christ, responding to his example and the commandments which he brought. Jesus clearly taught that being a disciple starts with loving him first. Luke chapter 14 verse 25. Again, brethren, we understand this process, but let me remind us again. No one can come to Jesus Christ unless the Father who sent him draws us. God calls us, initiates that calling. He draws us to Jesus Christ, but we have to establish that relationship with him, accepting him as a disciple. And we have to establish that relationship with him, accepting him as our Messiah, having faith that he came from the Father, entering into this loving disciple relationship.

Then we come to the Father through Jesus Christ. No one can come to the Father except by him, but no one comes to him unless the Father draws them. So we understand this process. Luke chapter 14 verse 25.

He says, you can't be my disciple.

As I've explained before, hate is a comparative word, and it means to love less by comparison. He's not literally saying, hate your parents, but he's saying there can be nothing about this life that you love more than me.

Now, what's interesting is he doesn't say that we are to love the Father more, although that is true, and it's reinforced in Scripture after Scripture after Scripture. But my point in this Scripture is Christ is saying, if you want to be my disciple, if you want to walk with me, have this relationship with me, you must love me more than these other physical relationships as well. And clearly we love the Father more than all as well. But again, if you're going to have this relationship, if you're going to be a disciple, it can't be second place to something else in this life. Christ is telling us to love Him more.

You cannot be a disciple of the Messiah apart from loving Him. And frankly, brethren, I see no way of loving someone apart from being engaged in an active relationship with them and coming to know them. All throughout our calling, the point is the Father wants us as children. Right? God is building His family. He is our Father. We are His children. But also through this calling and through this process, Jesus Christ wants us as His disciples, as His learners, the ones that follow and imitate Him. And the two go hand in hand. It's an intimate relationship we're talking about. It's not just intellectual head knowledge. It is a relationship that goes both ways. And you cannot love somebody from my perspective without having a relationship. Verse 27, He says, And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. And so if you want to be an imitator of Jesus Christ, then you have to pick up your cross and follow Him. Because that is what He did. That was the example that He set. The cross was a symbol of crucifixion and death. And I'm not getting hung up on the exact form of the symbol, okay? The Romans crucified people on a number of different crucifixes. It could have been a capital T. It could have been a cross. It could have been an X that they crucified someone on. The Romans built whole scaffolings at major intersections and crucified multiple people so those who would walk would see and fear. So the point isn't in terms of when I say the cross in terms of the symbol of that, but the point is it is an instrument of crucifixion and death. That's what it points to. In that day and time, when you saw somebody dragging that heavy cross beam through the streets, you knew they were marked for death. And you knew they were to be crucified shortly. Rather than this calling, again, Christ said, you know, if you're going to be His disciple, you take up your cross and you follow Him. In this calling, this is a one-way trip. It's a one-way trip. If you saw someone carrying the cross, you know what? They didn't have an option to put it down. Someone who was under Roman guard dragging that beam through the street, heading to their death. They didn't get to say, I think I'll take a break. Kind of tired. Can't I? I'll go home. Maybe we can do this tomorrow. Now, the point was they carried that beam until they were crucified on it and they died. Point Jesus Christ is making is if we're going to be a disciple of His, we're going to have to bear our cross to the end. We're going to have to carry tirelessly the consequences of living this way of life in a world that is going completely the opposite direction. And you're going to be dedicated to it to the end if you are my disciple. You and I, as disciples, don't get to put down that cross, that beam. We don't get to say, this is getting kind of heavy. This isn't exactly what I signed up for. This isn't what I want to do today. I'd rather go do something fun. Now, the point is we don't get to lay that down. We will carry that until we either live out this physical life or we die on that stake one way or the other because that is what Jesus Christ did. And that was the example that he set. There's often a price for being a disciple. And when I counsel someone for baptism, I say, you consider very carefully, you count the costs.

I'd like to see each person be baptized, but the point is that it is a personal commitment that you have to count the cost and come to the point that you say, yes, I am willing to carry this load to be a disciple no matter what the cost in the world that is going the opposite direction. And all through that, Jesus Christ says, you follow me. If you want to be my disciple, you follow me. Matthew 16, verse 25, I'll just quote it for you. Jesus said, forever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. The Apostle Peter came to understand that point very clearly. You remember Peter, the disciple who denied Jesus three times prior to his crucifixion? He came to understand that his commitment as a disciple of Jesus Christ would come at a very high cost. Let's notice John, chapter 21, verse 17. John 21, verse 17. Peter was going to find out that, you know what, there is a price to this relationship. John 21, verse 17. And he said to him a third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Sounds an awful lot like a relationship to me. Verse 18. Moses, surely I say to you, this is Christ speaking to Peter, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished. But when you were old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. And this he spoke, signifying, but what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me.

Christ said to Peter, you are going to die for your service to this way of life.

To be a disciple of mine, to represent our Father in the kingdom of God, and to preach the gospel is going to cost you your life. Nevertheless, you follow me.

And sometimes think how nice it is that we don't actually know kind of the end result of what lies ahead in our circumstance. What we do need to know is God has called us into his family to pursue his kingdom. Christ says, follow me, and we do so one foot across from the other day by day. Again, Peter, tradition states that Peter was crucified upside down.

Crucified upside down. I say tradition because it's not written in the biblical record, but it is commonly believed by historical sources that that was the case. Crucified upside down for his witness and dedication to the gospel, and to God, and to Christ. Tradition holds to the fact that James apparently was thrown off the pinnacle of the temple. James, half-brother of Jesus, thrown off the pinnacle of the temple, did not die when he hit the ground but was killed on the ground. Apostle Paul was beheaded for his witness to the gospel. Christ said, this will come at a price. If you want to be my disciple, it will come at a price. Here's the price. You carry that cross to the end, and you follow me.

Follow me, and he is called you and I to the same relationship today. Jesus Christ is the master. We are the students. We seek to emulate him and learn from his example, and in this relationship we follow him. John 8, verse 31. John 8, verse 31. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. To abide literally means to live. So the point that Christ is making is that his words are not just to be head knowledge again. They're to be lived. They're actionable. And he set the example for us as to how these things are to be lived. The disciple Jesus Christ will be abiding in his word, living according to his example. 1 John chapter 2, verse 3.

1 John chapter 2, verse 3. 1 John chapter 3.

He says, Now by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. Somebody ever asked you, do you know the Lord? You know, it's kind of a common phrase that goes around. Do you know the Lord? I know the Lord. Well, what does that mean, really?

1 John 2, 3. Again, by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. For he who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, as a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself to walk just as he walked.

So do we say that we know Jesus Christ? Do we say that we're our disciple of his, that we are a follower, and he is our teacher? If so, then we must be found keeping the commandments, indeed walking just as he walked.

Outside of that focus, there is no room for a relationship with either God, Father, or Jesus Christ. We must keep these commandments, not just know them, but live them. Matthew 5, 19, Christ said, whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Christ did and taught them. And he was our model, and he exemplified them, demonstrating total obedience to God. That was his commitment. That was the purpose he came, and that was a clear example that he set for us to follow.

2 Timothy 2, 19.

As I began putting this together, it became apparent quickly. We're just barely going to scratch the surface. 2 Peter 2, 19.

Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His. And to me, that is a very comforting phrase, because times that come along where I question or I wonder, well, what about this person? What about that person? Where are they? Are they here? What is God doing? The Lord knows those who are His, and that is in His hands, and I'm grateful.

So the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Here we see another proof of true discipleship. That is, if you declare the name of Jesus Christ as your rabbi, as your teacher, as your master, that you're looking to His example, then departing from sin is going to be a part of your nature and character. Christ did not sin. He came and lived this way of life perfectly, even though He was tempted in all points as we are, yet He was without sin. And that's what qualified Him to be our Savior. Again, that was 2 Timothy 2.19. Sin is contrary to the nature of God and Christ, and it is the same godly nature that you and I must be developing through these words by living according to the example that has been set. The point of all these scriptures is to point out the kind of relationship that we're to be maintaining with Jesus Christ. Again, we're to be looking to Him as our example, as our teacher, as the one that we seek to imitate. We understand in the relationship with God the Father that we study His Word and God speaks to us through His Word, and we in turn get down on our knees and pray to the Father, and it is a conversation. And when we're seeking understanding by His Spirit, He reveals again to us through His Words. And so we have this relationship. With Jesus Christ, we have a relationship in these Words as well, because as we study His life, and I would say specifically even the Gospel accounts, we see how He lived, the Words that He spoke. We learn from Him through that study. And on the flip side of that relationship, we respond to live and to walk, just as He walked, seeking after the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ.

As you have for years and years, we go through the Scriptures, we learn a lot of things, and I go, you know, I could take a set of Scriptures and stack them on Jesus Christ's side of the scale and tip the scale that way. Or I could take the Scriptures and stack them on God the Father's side of the scale and let's tip the scale that way. Brethren, let us seek balance in what it is that we study in God's Word. Balance and agreement. And I don't claim to have all balance, but it is my hope I'm trying to present balance today in the relationship that we have with both God the Father and Jesus Christ. And I would say in many cases over the history of the church, we've not always explored what it means to have a relationship with Christ. Maybe we've been afraid of that. Maybe it seemed Protestant, okay, because it has been taken to that level, but it is biblical and we must understand it, indeed, in balance. As Christ as our rabbi, as we study the Scriptures, we learn at His feet from His example. Throughout the Scriptures, we see real-life examples of the forgiveness that He extended. The willingness to forgive, those that had wronged Him. We see real-life examples of the compassion and the mercy that He showed. The fact that He was willing to sit down and eat with publicans and sinners and tax collectors and interact with harlots. Not that it was just fine to live away a life unrepentant, but He sought to reach them that they may live a better life. Through the example of Jesus Christ, we see what it means to continue in obedience and submission to the Father's will. He demonstrated that even under duress. He prayed to God, if there's any way this cup can pass from Me, nevertheless, not My will but Your will be done. We learn from His example submission to the will of the Father. All of that is for our edification. In turn, we respond by imitating our teacher, by living as He lived, walking according to that standard. It is a relationship, a working relationship, that indeed is very real.

Another example from Scripture shows us that the disciple of Christ is someone who bears fruit in living this way of life. John chapter 15 and verse 4.

John 15 and verse 4. Christ said, Verse 5.

Again, it sounds very much like a relationship. Verse 6. Verse 6. If you do not abide in Me, He is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. So how are you going to get to the Father apart from abiding in Jesus Christ? If you do not abide in Christ, you are cut off, discarded, burned up, and consumed. It is a relationship, brethren, that works hand in hand together. Verse 7.

Again, clearly this way of life is not just a sit-around and do-nothing way of life. Bearing much fruit is what God the Father has called us to do, what He has purposed for us to do, what He has willed for us to do, and it is what our teacher has set the example by which we emulate.

In our lives, when we bear much fruit, when we do these things and live as Christ lived, we not only fulfill our discipleship, but we glorify God the Father who has drawn us to Christ in the first place. The glory goes to God. Now, in the beginning of the message, I named out a number of titles and descriptors for Christ, and sometimes we think, well, how exactly do we relate with those? I'm not going to go through that, but I want to give you just a couple of more. Maybe these sound a little more intimate in terms of a relationship. How about elder brother?

Anybody here have an elder brother that they don't have a relationship with? You know what we would call that? A dysfunctional relationship. Jesus Christ is our elder brother, and he says he is not afraid to call us brethren.

How about the fact that we will be the bride of Christ? The bride of Christ. The church is being prepared to be the bride of Christ. Paul said, I have betrothed you as a chaste virgin to Christ. This is the betrothal period in preparation for the wedding of the church to Christ. Anybody who's ever been married, not gone, ever gone through the engagement period and never had interaction or relationship with the one you'd be wed to? It would seem to me this is the time to come to know and to deepen the understanding and to strengthen the relationship. Additionally, true discipleship is shown through the fact that we must be willing to suffer, even for doing good, because that's the example that was set. 1 Peter 2 verse 18.

1 Peter 2 verse 18.

So servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable if because of conscience towards God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps, who committed no sin nor was deceit found in His mouth, who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. There was much that we can learn through the example of Jesus Christ. Have you ever suffered wrong for doing good? You've suffered for doing the right thing? Probably a lot of us have suffered for doing the right thing. What should our response be? Is it to get angry because we've suffered for doing the right thing, or is it the example of Jesus Christ? That when you suffer for doing good, God notices. And this is commendable in His sight. Continue on. Again, verse 23, who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously, who bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. I hope we're getting the picture clearly, brethren. Christ set the example for us, that we might learn from Him and live by these words.

We're nearing the end. I'm sorry I've gone a little long-winded today. John 13.

I'll give you one, two, three more scriptures. John chapter 13, example of discipleship is love. Christ set the example, just as in everything else. John chapter 13 and verse 33.

Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. So now I say to you, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Again, He says, I have set the example, now you do it. You love each other, just as I have loved you, which in part meant even I was willing to suffer wrong for my love for you. That is Christ's example. Verse 35. By this all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. So He's saying, you know what? By the outward example, our example, by those on the outside looking in, the evidence of our discipleship and this relationship with Jesus Christ and His Father would be the fact that we love one another. The fact that fruit is the love, love is the fruit that is displayed. We've not always done so well with that in the Church of God.

If we're to be honest with ourselves, we've not always done so well with that. Brethren, we must. We must love one another as Jesus Christ loved us, even on occasion being willing to suffer wrong for righteousness sake and to carry on in love. That is the outward example of what is living within our lives. Love one another.

The good news, because earlier I expressed what were some of the challenges and the costs that could come, the price of being a disciple, the good news is that it's not all hurt. Clearly not. It's not all cost. There are blessings as well for being a disciple of Jesus Christ, both in this age and in the age to come. And what we see is that the reward when He returns with His Father's kingdom will be far beyond anything in terms of the price that you and I paid today. Matthew 19, verse 23. This is the reward of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Matthew 19, verse 23. Jesus said to His disciples, Assuredly I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Then Peter had answered and said to him, See, we have left all and followed you. Father, mother, land, our own life, our livelihood, we have left all and followed you. Therefore, what shall we have? So Jesus said to them, Assuredly I say to you, That in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you will —sorry, let me start again—Assuredly I say to you, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And I say, Well, that's great. That's the twelve. What about everybody else? Verse 29, In every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters, father or mother, wife or children or lands, for My name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last and the last first. The principle is that anything you and I may have to give up in this life to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Remember, He said, You follow Me.

Anything we've deserted, anything we've had to pass up, a job promotion, maybe a house, maybe you said, You know, I could buy that house if I didn't have to tithe, but you know what? I serve God. Whatever it is you think you've had to give up in this life, the principle is the reward far outweighs whatever the price or the cost may have been. Discipleship is a very high calling, brethren. It's a calling that extends from God the Father, a calling that draws us into a special relationship with His Son so that we might come to know Him and learn from Him. Christ said, You learn from Me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. I want to conclude in Matthew 28.

Matthew 28, because discipleship is not to be a solo event. It's actually something that we are called to pass on as God gives us opportunity. Matthew 28 and verse 16, this is following crucifixion and now the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28, 16 says, Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but some doubted. You know what? Worship is a proper response and a proper relationship between Jesus Christ and His disciples. That His disciples worship Him. We worship no man. We worship no angel. But certainly God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are worthy of worship and praise. Indeed, the angels in heaven worship Him as well. Again, this sounds like a relationship to me. Verse 18, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, evened to the end of the age. Discipleship is not to be a closed-ended opportunity that simply stops with us. The Church has been commissioned by the One who has been given all authority. The Father has given Christ all authority. And Christ said, I have the authority. Now you go. Make disciples in all nations. Help those whom God calls come to an understanding of this way of life and respond to Him and live it accordingly. As a responsibility, the Church of God is to carry for as long as God gives us the ability to do so. Now we can look at Scripture, we can look at prophecy, and we can see at the end of the age that the power of the Holy People will be shattered. There will come a time when we will not be able to do so in terms of preaching the gospel, but let it be because it was of God's will and timing, not because we fractured to the point that we no longer could carry on the work. Love as Christ loved us. Forgive as He forgave. Show mercy as He was merciful. Go and make disciples as He instructed.

Brother in our calling before God, let us not ever stop responding to those two words. Again, we read them over and over. You can find them all throughout the gospel accounts. It is what Christ extended to His disciples. Those two words follow me. In doing so, you and I will have opportunity to partake in a very special relationship with our rabbi, with our teacher, with the one whom we imitate, Jesus Christ. And in doing so, we will be reconciled in a wonderful family relationship with God as our Father, He as our elder brother, our Savior, and our soon-coming King.