Knowing God Rather Than Just Knowing About God
Many sermons and discussions tend to talk about God and various
aspects of scripture, but too few explain the importance and how to of knowing
Him.
Establish the importance of
knowing Him!
(John
17:1-3) When Yeshua had finished saying these things, he
looked upward to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son,
so that your Son may glorify you –
just as you have given him authority
over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given
him. Now this is
eternal life – that they know you, the only true God, and Yeshua Messiah, whom you
sent.
This knowing is an intimate knowing (like husband and
wife type of relationship). Not a head
knowledge that can puff us up, but a heart knowledge. We can show up for church
on all the right days, send in our tithes, spend our time looking just right,
even perform miracles, but still not know Him.
(Matt 7:21-23) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will
of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me,
‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons
and do many powerful deeds?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from
me, you lawbreakers!’
(Matt 23:23) “Woe to you, experts in the law and you
Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more
important (or weightier)
in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without
neglecting the others.
Weightier = More Glorious! These
require an intimate relationship with our God to be appropriated in our lives. These are matters of the heart, and we need
His heart in us to develop in righteousness.
Is knowing Him my priority?
How well do I know Him? How would
you grade yourself in this area?
True Knowing = Oneness
(John 5:19) So Yeshua answered them, “I tell you the solemn
truth, the Son can do
nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing.
For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.
(John
14:7) If you have known me, you will know my Father
too...
(John
17:21-23) “I am
not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me
through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you,
Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe
that you sent me. The glory you gave to me I have given
to them, that they may be one just as we are one – I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, so
that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you
have loved me.
What is important to Him becomes important to us if He is in
us.
Are we one? Are we in the Father and
Yeshua in us? Are we one with each
other? How can we all be one in the
Father and Son, yet divided amongst ourselves?
Seeking His Face
We can’t truly know someone and be like them only by learning about
them. We must seek their face, to be in
their presence continually. It is through
this interaction, by spending much time through different circumstances that we
begin to know others, to know their heart.
- But if you seek the LORD your God from there, you
will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. (Deut
4:29)
- Now seek the LORD your God wholeheartedly and with
your entire being! … (1Chr 22:19)
- Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that
seek him with the whole heart. (Ps 119:2)
- And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall
search for me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)
- “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will
find; knock and the door will be opened for you. (Matt 7:7)
Practical Application for how to seek
to know Him better
- Look
for God in creation. Instead of just taking life for
granted as it passes by, one should slow down and consider the artist.
Consider the Creator as we enjoy His creation all around us.
- Seek
God’s council / direction for the challenges we face. God
is not just our Creator, but also the Master Mechanic for His creation. Even
if we think “I got this one”, which proved to be a grave mistake for some
of the kings we read about in the Bible, it is always better to seek His
will in all things.
- Look
for the Creator’s “fingerprints” in my circumstances. It
is easy to chalk up the cause of my circumstances to time and chance, or
as a result of other's choices and actions, but we should consider what
our responsibility is for our situation. What is God teaching us?
What is He working on in our life? This will not only show us
where we need to repent, or where we need to press on, but also is another
way to seek Him and His heart for us!
- Humbly
Seek God at all times. Seek Him in time of need with prayer and
supplication. This usually isn’t too hard for us as we tend to do it
by default when we run out of options. But just as importantly, go
to Him with thanksgiving and praise in our time of abundance.
Another downfall for several biblical kings, when they became proud
and thought they had acquired their wealth and position on their own, was
forgetting that God is the one who establishes as well as removes us. Conversely
some kings turned their back on God when they faced judgement, trial and
hardship, which also stems from pride in oneself. How do we compare to the kings?
To truly know Him, and not just know about Him, we must die
to our self, our will, our thoughts, our words and our deeds. As a true sacrifice we do NOT get to have it
our way, but get to practice making it His way, which is always the best way
because He knows all and always knows best!
(Rom
12:1) Therefore
I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your
reasonable service.
