House of Hope Online

September 6, 2026

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The word of the Lord for us today is all about relationship.  To be saved, we must confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.  We ask Him into hearts, and He sends the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us to live in a relationship with Him.

John 14:

 26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (NASB)

It is one thing to repeat a prayer, but there must be a sincere desire to change our way of life.  We are called to begin a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  When a man asks a woman to marry, there must be a commitment to change and no longer live for himself, but to now live in relationship with his wife.  The same is true in our commitment with Jesus.

A Love Story

Remember the Bible is not a rule book.  It is a love story.  Jesus loves us so much that He died for us.  Therefore, He wants to stay in relationship with us always.

Many fear they must live a perfect, sin-free life to have a relationship with Jesus.  This fear comes from the religious spirit within the Church, a spirit that burdens people, shames them as unworthy, and places on them feelings of condemnation to block them from having a true and rewarding relationship with Jesus.

Jesus called out the religious spirit in Matthew 23 when He rebuked the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:

 4 “And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with [so much as] a finger.

 5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels [of their garments.]

In verse 5, a “phylactery” is a box worn on the forehead or arm that contains Scripture verses.  The tassels referred to were borders on their garments designed to call attention to, and attract praise for, their good deeds.   So Jesus is saying the religious leaders burden people to do things they are even unwilling to do, and they do things to be seen by men and to be praised.

Later in Matthew 23, Jesus chastised those leaders and blamed them for preventing potential believers from coming into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 23:

 13 ¶ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

So, it is not about what you do for Jesus, or what you don’t do.  It’s about what He does for you when you stay in relationship with Him.  I am not advocating for sin, and I am not saying you shouldn’t do anything for the Kingdom.  You should, but that is not what gets you saved, and that is not what keeps you saved.  Your works cannot be the center of your attention.  If they are, that makes you a Pharisee.  What matters is your relationship with Jesus. 

Jesus is the one thing.  He is the only thing that matters.  He is the only way to salvation.  And He loves you.

John 14:

 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

It’s All About Relationship

What I am telling you today is not my opinion.  It is the word of God.  Look at what Jesus said about knowing us, and our knowing Him.

John 10:

 14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me,

 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

 16 “And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock [with] one shepherd.

John 10:

 27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.

 29 “My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand.

 30 “I and the Father are one.”

Know Him.  Hear His voice.  Follow Him.  Never perish.  Never be snatched from His hand.  Those are all descriptions of relationship.  When you have a relationship, you know Him and He knows you.  There is nothing to hide.  There is nothing you can hide from Him, nor is there anything you want to hide from Him.

If you are troubled about something, He is your peace and your solution.  If you are in sin, He is your forgiveness.  Don’t avoid Him because you’ve been unfaithful.  If you are struggling with your faith, that is the time to run to Him, not from Him.

In Matthew 7, Jesus made it clear that knowing Him trumps anything else you can do in the Kingdom.

Matthew 7:

 21 ¶ “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.

 22 “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?’

 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Nothing Can Separate You

Romans 8:

 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus when we are in relationship with Him.  Verse 38 mentions angels, principalities, things that have already happened, things that are yet to happen.  Nothing can separate us from Him.  His word says no one can snatch us out of His hand.

Perhaps there is no greater example of this spiritual principle than Peter’s denial of Jesus on the night Jesus was taken.  Peter denied Jesus three times that night, something that Jesus had prophesied.  Despite Peter’s denial, Jesus saw through that lack of discretion and wanted Peter to minister. 

John 21:

 15 ¶ So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.”

 16 He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

 17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me?” 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.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.

Another example is the Apostle Paul, who persecuted Christians before His conversion experience.  If fact Jesus said Paul was persecuting Him.  Yet Paul was allowed to be an apostle and write the majority of the New Testament.

Our sin and weakness of faith do not separate us from His love if we confess, repent, and stay in relationship with Him.

Commune with Him

Communion is an important part of staying in relationship with Jesus.  The word “commune” means to communicate intimately.  When Jesus instructed us to commune with Him, He was having His Last supper with the disciples.

Luke 22:

 19 And when He had taken [some] bread [and] given thanks, He broke [it,] and gave [it] to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

 20 And in the same way [He took] the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.

When we take communion, we are receiving His body into ours, and with His body we receive all healing – physical healing, mental healing, and emotional healing.  When we drink the wine or juice, we acknowledge His shed blood.  Jesus called it the new covenant, which means a new contract with God, signed with Jesus’ blood.  His blood washes us of sin and makes a new covenant with the Father that provides us with eternal life.

Jesus told us to “…do this in remembrance of Me.”  Yet some in the Church put roadblocks up to those who wish to receive communion.  Many have rules that if you haven’t been to confession, you are not allowed to have communion.  The Apostle Paul had an important teaching on this point.

1^st Corinthians 11:

 23 ¶ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

 25 In the same way [He took] the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink [it,] in remembrance of Me.”

 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly.

 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

Paul says in verse 27 that we should not take communion in an unworthy manner, but notice in verse 28, he doesn’t tell us not to partake.  Instead, he says we should examine ourselves and then take communion.  To do otherwise, and refrain from taking communion can cause us to be weak and sick and even die,  In other words, communion is healing for our bodies, so don’t refrain from it.  If you have sinned, examine yourself, take it seriously, confess it,  and repent.  Trust Jesus’ righteousness, not your own,  Trust His willingness to cleanse us of all sin.  Stay in relationship with Jesus.  Then take communion!

You do not need to be in church to have communion.  Just take some bread or crackers, and some wine or juice, and dedicate those elements to the Lord.  Take communion often.  It is one of the best ways you can stay in relationship with Him.

Prayer of Communion

If you want to take communion now, pray this prayer (or something similar as the Holy Spirit leads you) as you take the elements.

Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your body for me.  Thank You for accepting the pain and agony of the physical beating You took for my sin.  I receive this bread as Your body into mine, and I accept the healing that it represents – healing of my body, my mind, and my emotions.  Jesus thank You for Your body.  I do this in remembrance of You.

[Take the bread and eat it]

And now Jesus, I take the cup of Your blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant with the Father, the blood that washed my sin, the blood that forgives me, the blood that entitles me to eternal life with You.  Thank You for shedding this blood for me.  I drink this cup in remembrance of You!

[Drink the wine or juice]

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for allowing us to enter into relationship with Your Son, Jesus.  Your word promises that nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus.  Demons cannot separate us, wrong thinking cannot separate us, past mistakes cannot separate us.  Quicken us Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to call upon You, to hear Your voice, to know You, and to follow You all the days of our lives.  Thank You for forgiving our transgressions when we confess and repent.  And thank You for giving us a way to commune with You, to communicate with you intimately.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

If anyone has not yet received the Lord Jesus Christ in their heart, and desires to do so, please repeat this prayer after me:

Father God, I repent of my sin and ask for forgiveness today.  I confess and declare with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with all my heart that You raised Him from the dead for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus, please come into my heart and change me.  Send the Holy Spirit to guide and direct me in wisdom and to enable me to overcome temptation from this day forth.  Thank You for my salvation.  I look forward to the day of the Rapture when I can be with You forever.  Amen.