Bible Studies
To Know the Lord
Series: Additional StudiesIntroduction:
1. There is much to be said about “knowing the Lord.” 2. The apostle John, in both his gospel and his first epistle focuses extensively upon the importance of knowing God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.a. John records Jesus praying, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (Jn. 17:3).
b. If you want to have eternal life you have to know God.
3. For Paul knowing Christ is of more value that being a good Jew.a. After describing his place as a good Jew he said, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:7).
b. In 2 Thess. he described the second coming involving Jesus delivering the afflicted while dealing out retribution to those “who do not know God” (1:8).
4. Many questions are raised by these texts. Two critical ones are: “What does it mean to ‘know God?’” and “How can I come to know Him?”Discussion:
I. There are many things to be known about God, but only one source of information and that is God Himself.A. God reveals Himself to us.
1. For us to try to arrive at an understanding of who God is without Him revealing himself would be futile.
2. It is like we have a ceiling over us that limits our thinking to the things underneath that ceiling.
a. We are limited by time, place and space it is hard for us to imagine someone unlimited in these ways.
b. Perhaps this is what Paul was referring to in 1 Cor. 1:21 when he said, “The world through its wisdom did not come to know God…”
B. God reveals Himself through various mechanisms.
1. He reveals Himself through what He has created (Psa. 19:1; Rom. 1:18-22).
a. The creation reveals things about God’s invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature.
b. As a result of the evidence of creation there is responsibility to honor God and give Him thanks (Rom. 1:21).
c. The passage speaks of those who refuse this communication and exalt their own wisdom, but to do so draws conclusions based on limitations that automatically exclude God’s witness of Himself.
2. He reveals Himself through what He has written (Psa 19:7ff).
a. He has spoken to us through prophets (cf. Deut. 18:18-19; Heb. 1:1-2).
b. This revelation goes beyond that of creation. It is more explicit and reveals such critical information as the coming of Christ and the benefits of faith in Him for all mankind (Eph. 3:1ff).
3. God has revealed Himself to us through Christ.
a. Not just what Christ said, but through who He was.
b. God has revealed something of who He is in the very act of sending His son to the earth.
4. There is yet another way that God reveals Himself to us mentioned in Acts 14:17. “He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
C. One central theme in all these mechanisms is that God is good and gives good things.
1. The creation is very good (Gen. 1:31).
2. The written revelation communicates a God of gracious provision, planning for spiritual benefits for man.
3. Most clearly evident in the coming of Christ.
4. And if we have not received that message yet, rains and fruitful seasons, testify to His gracious goodness.
5. Made clear in the teaching of Jesus in Matt. 7:7ff.
6. What blessings have you received that testify to God’s goodness? How are you responding to those blessings? Thanksgiving? Faith? Such is appropriate.
II. The Father is revealed by the Son.A. Knowledge of the Father and Son are intertwined (Matt. 11:27). Matthew presents this relationship as Jesus is discussing people’s recognition of Him as sent from God. It is stated in a context dealing with condemnation and graciousness.
B. In discussing Jesus’ relationship with the world John said, “the world did not know Him” (Jn. 1:9-12).
C. Jesus claimed to have come from God and to know Him (Jn. 7:28-29).
D. He implied that to know Him was to know His father (Jn. 8:19) and associated his knowledge of His father with keeping the father’s word (Jn. 8:55).
E. This thought is continued in Jn. 10:15 and extends to Jesus knowing his own and his own knowing Him (Jn. 10:14).
F. In Jn. 14:7ff the identity between Jesus and the Father is so close that to know one is to know the other.
III. Knowing God is critical to being known by Him.A. There is a radical distinction recognized in Scripture between the one who knows God and the one who does not.
1. The Gentiles did not know God, but were slaves of those who were no gods (Gal. 4:8-9; 1 Thess. 4:5). Their lives lived in lustful passion revealed their lack of knowing Him.
2. The Jews described in Heb. 3:10-12 did not know “My ways” and so are said to have fallen away from the living God. This falling away was demonstrated in their unbelief and disobedience.
B. Those who do not know God will experience the consequences of this in retributive justice meted out by God.
1. 2 Thess. 1:8.
2. Heb. 10:30.
3. Matt. 7:21-23.
C. Those who do know God experience the consequence of this knowledge—eternal life (Jn. 17:3).
D. Deeds reflect one’s knowledge of God.
1. Titus 1:16.
2. 1 Jn. 2:3-6.
3. 1 Jn. 2:12-17.
4. 1 Jn. 3:1-3.
5. 1 Jn. 4:8.
Conclusion:
1. My deduction is that when we know God (His goodness, His graciousness, His nature) and when we will accept Him for who He is we will be awed to the point of obedience. 2. These conclusions can come from the creation, from rains and fruitful seasons or our understanding of Christ and the graciousness of God evidenced in Him. 3. We should be inspired to obedience from any of these avenues of communication. 4. Those who refuse to acknowledge Him as God live lives characterized by evil. They will experience the just reward for that evil. 5. Those who know the Lord and accept Him, live lives characterized by love and good deeds.
