Real, Rocky, and Resistant Relationships
Lesson Summary – September 17, 2026
Have you ever considered how you treat Jesus? That was the question. Relationships are living entities. They move forward and backward. They die and can be reborn. They evolve and decay. They can be locked by their limitations or transformed beyond them. There are many, many characteristics that go into a good and real relationship, and one important characteristic is that every relationship takes, at least, 2 people.
God is not satisfied with just saving us and delivering us from eternal separation and punishment. He is interested in far more than that. Certainly, our salvation is a big part of God’s plan, but He is interested in an intimate relationship with each and every person. The intimacy that God wants from us, and in fact offers to us, is found throughout the Bible.
We must remember that God is the holy, perfect, creator. He cannot be associated with sin in anyway. This is His standard, and it will not be comprised. So, how can we, a sinful people, ever have an intimate relationship with a holy God (Colossians 1:15-23). He actually made the first move and did three things to make it possible.
1. Cross - God came down to us in the person of Jesus Christ. The sin of the world, the punishment of death for every single human being past, present, and future was placed on Him. The moment that Jesus died the sin barrier between God and mankind was no more. Jesus made it possible not only to be acceptable and righteous in God’s eyes, but to be able to have a relationship with Him.
2. New Birth - When a person accepts Jesus and their Savior and Lord, not only are they are given a new spiritual life, and the promise of living eternally with Jesus, but they are also clothed in the robe of His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). This means that God sees us as pure, unblemished, clean, holy. Of course, we still sin, but the gift of righteousness, that puts us in a “right” standing with God is never removed. 1 John 2:1 says we have an advocate with the Father, and He is, Jesus Christ, the righteous One. (Hebrews 7:25) Jesus intercedes for us. We are covered, washed clean, and righteous, in the eyes of the Holy God. It has nothing to do with our behavior or anything we do, but everything to do with what Jesus did.
3. Holy Spirit - God sent the Holy Spirit to take up residence in us. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, God renews us, and produces in our hearts feelings, hopes, and desires which are evidence that we belong to Him. The Holy Spirit guides us and convicts us to be more like Jesus. Ephesians 1:13 says “we are sealed with the Holy Spirit…”
Since it takes two for a relationship, our response to how God has intentionally pursued us must be 3 actions.
1. Enter into it - We must say “yes” to enter into it…..whole-heartedly, not half-way. A person must recognize the condition of sin that rules their life; acknowledge Jesus is who the Bible says He is; repent of their sin (repentance is actually a change in behavior not just an “I’m sorry”); receive Jesus as their Savior Redeemer, and surrender to Him as Lord of their life. This is a must.
2. Pursue the relationship - Just like any relationship one must spend time to get to know another person. It is no different with Jesus/God. We can know Him by reading His word consistently, praying consistently. When we pray it is important to allow time for Him to speak. Listen for Him. Watch for Him in your daily life. He wants intimacy from us, and in order to do that we must…a) Be honest with Him. We must continue to confess our sins, and agree with Him about the truth of our sin… b) Trust who He is. It doesn’t mean we never question, but we must trust His faithfulness and love for us, and be anchored in it….c) Be vulnerable before Him. We are to open our hearts to Him. He already knows anyway, but to say them, to offer them breaks down the wall we put up before Him. It allows us to hear Him.
3. Pass it on - We are to tell others what Jesus has done in our lives. We are to be a testimony for who He is. If you love someone, you talk about them. Think of how much you talk about your loved ones. How much do you talk about Jesus?
