Knowing God
- one of the most important commandments in the Bible is found in Romans 12:2
- (Romans 12:2) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
- another translator puts it, "Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit in without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God."
- this morning I’m going to speak about something that will make little sense if you are conformed to the pattern of this world
- I’m going to talk about knowing God as our most important priority in life
- that sounds like just the thing you’d expect to hear from a preacher, doesn’t it?
- if you think back to the creation of man, we enjoyed uninterrupted fellowship with God
- in Genesis 3:8 you have the beautiful picture of the footsteps of God walking through the garden
- this appears to be a way of describing the very real sense of the presence of God in that time, in close fellowship with humans
- but do you remember what happened in Genesis 3:8?
- (Genesis 3:8) Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
- because of sin, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God
- fellowship with God was no longer desirable for them
- and we’ve been hiding from God ever since
- Augustine said that we all have a God-shaped void in our lives
- all of us long for this fellowship with God in our lives, but it’s something that we also want to hide from because of our sin
- where do we turn instead of to God?
- some look for happiness by acquiring possessions
- some look for happiness by experiencing pleasure
- some look for happiness by gaining prestige and power
- but if you remember the quest of Solomon in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, you know that these approaches to life fall short of bringing us satisfaction
- you know that as well as I do
- nothing can ever replace God in our lives
- I think you’ll find some surprising things in the Bible about knowing God
- we’re going to embark on a series on knowing God
- we’re going to talk about who God is – his character and attributes
- we’ll look at how we can know God in our lives, not just on an intellectual level but in an intimate way
- my goal this morning is to lead you to realize that the knowledge of God is the most worthy pursuit of your entire life
- there is not a more worthy goal
- specifically, this morning I want to look at two "after pictures"
- you know how people take "before" and "after" pictures?
- this morning I’m going to show you two "after" pictures to demonstrate the benefits of knowing God
- THE FIRST "AFTER" PICTURE IS THE APOSTLE PAUL
- please turn with me to Philippians 3
- the apostle Paul was one of scores of people in the Bible whose life was completely transformed by the knowledge of God
- there were some in the church who believed that you come to know God through personal effort and obedience to the law
- but Paul knew from personal experience that all his pre-conversion effort and zeal was not how to get to know God
- so he lists all the things that he used to think impressed God: that he was born to a good family, followed religious law, and was a religious expert
- you know why Paul thought he knew God so well before his conversion?
- he was a Pharisee, and one of the requirements to be a Pharisee was that you had to learn the first five books of the Bible
- you could say that Paul was a religious fanatic
- as Tony Evans says:
- To say that the Pharisees prided themselves on their righteousness is like saying the Atlantic Ocean has a fair amount of water in it. Paul was one of these guys. He was the best of the best, the cream. He was zealous for the law and traditions of the Jews.
- here’s a guy with all this in his favor, and yet look what he says in verses 7 and 8:
- (Philippians 3:7) But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
- (Philippians 3:8) What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
- see what Paul did?
- with one sentence, Paul swept all his credentials, credits, and successes off the table and into the trash can
- he considered everything that he had accomplished in life, and said that it was all a loss compared with what? the greatness of knowing Christ
- think of it – everything we accomplish in life – our credentials, credits, and successes – all of it is garbage compared to this one thing: knowing God
- you know folks, knowing God is about more than religion
- it’s more than having a religious experience with God or saying that we feel him
- you couldn’t talk about a more religious guy than Paul, but what good did it do?
- he regarded all his religiosity as garbage – literally, as dung
- friends, you can go to church, have information about God, sing in the choir, and yet not know God
- you can be a religious minister and still not know God
- you can even have all the right theology and still not know God
- look at Paul
- you see, knowing God is more than awareness
- it’s more than information
- and it’s more than religion
- it’s a relationship
- listen to what Paul says:
- (Philippians 3:10) I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
- (Philippians 3:11) and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
- (Philippians 3:12) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
- (Philippians 3:13) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
- (Philippians 3:14) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
- Paul gave up everything – his family, his friends, and his freedom – in order to know Christ
- Paul says that his one goal is to know Christ
- that goal absorbed all of Paul’s energy
- we have to realize that knowing God is life’s most meaningful pursuit
- (Jeremiah 9:23) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,
- (Jeremiah 9:24) but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
- it’s amazing what we brag about
- but God says, about the only thing worth bragging about is that you know me
- he says, "If you’re going to brag, you can brag on the fact that I have rubbed off on you; that my thinking has become your thinking; that my way of living and walking and functioning has become your way"
- as one Christian author says, "Our brains are too small, our knowledge too limited, ourselves too finite to live life the way it was meant to be lived apart from the knowledge of God"
- let me give you the choices you have
- you can hide from God, and try to fill the void in your life through possessions, pleasure, prestige, and power – but ultimately come up short
- you can try to fill the void by being a religious person, even a religious fanatic, without really knowing God
- or you can enter into an intimate, personal, and satisfying relationship with the God who made you and loves you
- the choice is fairly simple, isn’t it?
- I would like to look at one more "after" picture
- THE SECOND "AFTER" PICTURE IS DANIEL
- Paul taught us that the knowledge of God is the most worthy pursuit of your entire life
- Daniel teaches us that knowing God is the most practical project anyone can engage in
- James Packer imagines taking an Amazonian tribesman and flying him to London, England, and putting him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square, leaving him, as someone who knows nothing of English or England, to fend for himself
- he compares this to us:
- So we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.
- if you’re going to live in this world, you had better get to know your purpose and about the one who created you
- there’s that old saying, "too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good"
- behind this saying is the presupposition that a deepening knowledge of God is increasingly impractical
- but let me tell you this morning, knowing God is the most practical thing you can do
- why?
- those who know God have great energy for God
- in Daniel 11:32, in the King James Version, we read:
- (Daniel 11:32) The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
- in the context, this verse speaks of a reaction to the evil trends God’s people see around them
- in essence, it says that God’s people can’t rest while God’s name is being dishonored
- and look at Daniel’s life for proof
- from time to time he felt compelled to actively stand out against the conventions of the day and take a bold and defiant position
- rather than violate dietary laws, Daniel insisted on a vegetarian diet, to the consternation of those whose opinion should have mattered
- when Darius suspended the practice of prayer for a month, Daniel went on praying three times a day in front of an open window, so that everyone would know what he was doing
- it got him thrown into the lion’s den
- I think we all admire people who have the courage of conviction to stand up for God, no matter how outnumbered they may be
- do you have the gumption, the fortitude, the courage to stand up for your convictions?
- you might have heard the old Sunday school song: "Dare to be a Daniel"
- we can have Daniel’s energy as we come to know God as Daniel did
- those who know God have great contentment in God
- Daniel’s colleagues, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood their ground in the face of Nebuchadnezzar's threat that they were going to be thrown in the fiery furnace
- I love what they said:
- (Daniel 3:16) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. [no panic]
- (Daniel 3:17) If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. [they’re not worried!]
- (Daniel 3:18) But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." [it doesn’t matter – live or die, they’re content]
- when you know God, it doesn’t matter what happens to you – you’re content
- these people had contentment and confidence
- only the knowledge of God produces that kind of confidence in the circumstances of life
- Psalm 46:1-3 says:
- (Psalms 46:1) God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
- (Psalms 46:2) Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
- (Psalms 46:3) though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
- I don’t know what circumstances you’re facing, but I do know that no matter what happens in your life – though the mountains be removed – you don’t have to fear if you know God!
- (Romans 8:38) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
- (Romans 8:39) neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- the "after" pictures we’ve examined show us two people who were bold and alive
- their past was forgotten – all their accomplishments meant nothing to them
- no matter what happened to them, they had contentment and courage in Christ
- do you want to know God?
- (Deuteronomy 4:29) But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- as we begin our quest to know God, we’re assured that if we make it our priority quest, we will be successful
- the beginning point to knowing God is entering into relationship with him through the Lord Jesus Christ
- if you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, or if you’re unsure of your standing before God, you need to admit that you’re a sinner, that you can’t save yourself
- acknowledge that Jesus paid for your sin on the cross, and put your faith in him alone to save you
- receive him as your Savior, and then – welcome to the family!
- if you are a believer, we’re in for an adventure
- as we grow deeper in our knowledge of God, our lives will be transformed
- so stay tuned in the coming weeks – get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!
- in the end, it’s something that you have to experience
- Webster’s Dictionary defines a kiss as "a caress with the lips; a gentle touch or contact"
- but anyone who’s kissed someone knows that a kiss is really more than that
- you have to experience it!
- we can define knowing God all we want – but anyone who really knows God knows that the experience is really much better than the description
- so let’s get ready for the experience, shall we?
Adapted in part from Our God is Awesome by Tony Evans