I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      The name of Jesus of Nazareth is well known around the world.

                                                             1.      Some recognize Him according to the Bible’s presentation of Him as the Messiah or Christ, the Savior of mankind, and the Son of God.

                                                             2.      Some consider Him to be a prophet or a philosopher.

                                                             3.      Others consider Him to be nothing more than a historical character.

                                                             4.      Some have no consideration for Him at all.

B.      If you are among those who believe in the Jesus of the New Testament, then you must understand that the New Testament reveals the following things about Him:

                                                             1.      He is the singular source for salvation for all people in the world.

                                                             2.      If you will receive salvation through, then you must have a relationship with Him.

C.      This is the lesson that we seek to develop.

                                                             1.      Most of us grasp the fact that Jesus is the source of salvation.

                                                             2.      However, where we may fail is in having a proper relationship with Him.

a.       He is not some aloof, distant character living only through the words of a book.

b.       He is alive and active, and He abides with those who keep His word (John 14:23).

II.      CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION

A.      “‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6).

                                                             1.      This was the response of the Lord when Thomas asked how the disciples could know the way to God the Father (John 14:5).

                                                             2.      If anyone ever wants to see God and be saved from his own sins, then Jesus is the only way to succeed.

                                                             3.      There are no exceptions.  No one come to God by any other way than Christ.

B.      “Jesus therefore said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture’” (John 10:7-9).

                                                             1.      Imagine a wall that is infinitely high and has no ends.  No one could ever go over the top or around it.  On one side is the condemnation of death and on the other side is God and salvation to life.

                                                             2.      That wall is the enmity of sin that separates us from God.  The infinite wall represents the impossibility of finding God without a door.  The only door whereby one can cross from one side to the other is Jesus Christ.

C.      “Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having ho hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:12-13).  “For through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18).

                                                             1.      Before and without Christ, Gentiles (which we are) had no hope and no covenant of promise with God.  Those who are still without Christ today are still in that hopeless condition.

                                                             2.      Now and only through Christ, we have the bold access to God through Him.

D.      “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

                                                             1.      If we all have sinned and the wages of sin is death, then we all must die.  What shall we do?

                                                             2.      Eternal life is free in Christ!  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

E.       “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

F.       There are a host of other passages that could be cited, but these are sufficient to establish that there is no access to God and no salvation unless one is “in Christ.”

III.   HOW DOES ONE GET INTO CHRIST?

A.      If you believe that which has been affirmed about Jesus Christ, then you are almost ready to be “in Christ.”

                                                             1.      You must stop doing the things that condemned you in the first place, that is, you must repent of your sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 2Cor. 7:10).

                                                             2.      You must also make a public proclamation of your belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord, and the Son of God (Matt. 10:32; Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9-10).

                                                             3.      Then you are ready to take that step into Christ.

B.      “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal. 3:27).  “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” (Rom. 6:3).

C.      So, we are baptized into Christ, but what does it mean to be in Him?

IV.    WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IN CHRIST?

A.      It is obvious that to be “in Christ” does not indicate a physical situation, but rather a spiritual one.

                                                             1.      One does not enter Christ physically when he is baptized, but instead he establishes a spiritual relationship.

                                                             2.      This spiritual relationship is a covenant (agreement) between God and the believer.  That agreement is that God will forgive, redeem, and save the person who becomes and remains faithfully obedient to the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17; Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Col. 1:21-23).

B.      When a person comes into this relationship with Christ through obedience to the gospel, he is then added to the called out body of the saved, which is the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47).

                                                             1.      This relationship is an intimate one in which the Christian is counted as a member of the spiritual body of Christ (Eph. 5:29-30; 1Cor. 12:27).  Thus, Christ cares for and nurtures the Christian just as a man cares for the members of his own body.

                                                             2.      In this relationship, Christians have fellowship with the Father and the Son, meaning that they have things in common, like walking in the light (1John 1).

V.      STOP!  THINK!

A.      If we believe the Scriptures, then we can all agree that a relationship with Christ is most important.

B.      If you don’t have a relationship with Him, get one!

C.      If you do have a relationship with Him, how is it?

VI.    SALVATION IS PERSONAL

A.      “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:8-11)

                                                             1.      Notice the personal knowledge of which Paul writes.  Paul knew Christ because he had fellowship in His sufferings.  As we might say, Paul had “walked in his shoes.”

                                                             2.      That relationship would lead Paul to righteousness and eternal life in the resurrection.

B.      Do you know Christ personally and intimately?

                                                             1.      Better yet, does He know you?

                                                             2.      “‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawless ness.”’” (Matt. 7:21-23)

VII. WHAT RELATIONSHIP DO YOU HAVE WITH CHRIST?

A.      Is it a casual acquaintance?  Do you consider Him in passing once or twice a week?  Maybe you just consider Him at worship service times.  Is that the relationship that saves?

B.      Do you figure that if you are a member of a local church of Christ that you are guaranteed salvation?

                                                             1.      It doesn’t work that way!  One can be a member of a local church and have no relationship with Christ at all.  A member can disguise and pretend to be what he is not, and the other members can be deceived.  Is that the relationship that saves?

                                                             2.      One must be a member of the universal church that Christ died to save in order to be saved.  The only way to be a member of that church is to have a proper and personal relationship with Christ.  The Lord is the one who adds to the universal church (Acts 2:47), and He makes no mistakes about it nor will He be deceived.

C.      Are you a resentful, begrudging slave feeling oppressed and unappreciative of your Master?  Do you serve out of burden and guilt?  Is that the relationship that saves?

D.      Truly the only relationship with Christ whereby one will be saved is when the believer is a willing servant to his loving Master.

                                                             1.      If anyone appreciates the first principles of the gospel, then this is a natural relationship.

                                                             2.      When we grasp that we have no hope of salvation without Christ, how could we not love Him?  When we consider the price that He paid, how could we not serve Him?

E.       What is your relationship with Christ today?

                                                             1.      Can you honestly say that you are in Christ and confident of your own salvation?

                                                             2.      No one else can account for you.  Your salvation is your business.  Make it your business!