Knowing God
Intro. This scripture is a prophecy and was fulfilled in the time of Judas
Maccabeus. Who with a small band of men, dedicated fully to God,
attacked and defeated the superior forces of Antiocus Epiphanies
over and over again. Before each battle he would encourage his men
to be willing to give their lives for God. The exploits of these
men became legendary. There is a truth here that goes beyond the
prophetic fulfillment by the Maccabees.
I. The people who do know their God.
A. In John 17:3 Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they
may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have
sent."
1. There is a vast difference between knowing God, and
knowing about God.
2. All but the fool know about God, it is only the fool
who has said in his heart, "There is no God." Paul
said, professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools as they sought to change the glory of the
incorruptible God and they began to worship and serve
the creation more than the creator.
3. This is a reference to knowing God in a personal
intimate way. In such a way as you carry on daily
conversations with Him, and seek His advise before
making any major decisions. You look to Him daily for
comfort, advise, and strength, He is your closest
friend and confidant.
B. How do you get to know God in this way?
1. By learning of Him. Jesus said, "Take My yoke upon you
and learn of Me."
a. There is only one textbook whereby you may know
God in truth, and that is the Bible.
b. A lot of books have been written about man's
concepts, and ideas about God, these can be
very confusing.
c. The Bible is an autobiography in which God has
revealed Himself to man. It shows how He has
related to man through history, and how you can
relate to Him.
2. Through Jesus Christ.
a. God who in different times and in various ways
spoke to man through His prophets, has in these
last days spoken to us by His own dear Son.
Jesus is the final and perfect revelation of
God to man, for He is God.
b. When Philip said to Him, just show us the
Father and we will be satisfied, Jesus
answered, "Have I been with you all of this
time, and have you not seen Me, He that has
seen Me has seen the Father."
c. In his latter years John wrote in his 1st
epistle, "That which was from the beginning
which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled of the Word of life. For the
life was manifested and we have seen it, and
bear witness, and show unto you that eternal
life, which was with the Father, and was
manifested unto us."
d. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life, no man cometh to the Father, but by Me."
e. Again Jesus said, "Neither knoweth any man the
Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son
revealeth Him."
d. Jesus is the true revelation of God for He is
God. In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God and the Word was God, the
same was in the beginning with God, and the
Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we
beheld His glory as of the only begotten of
the Father full of grace and truth.
II. The outcome of knowing their God.
A. They shall be strong.
1. As we were sharing last week, we are in a spiritual
battle in which physical force is ineffective, for we
are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but
spiritual powers. In the context of this spiritual
warfare mentioned in Ephesians Paul said, "Be strong
in the Lord, and the power of His might."
a. Our strength is in Him, "Be strong in the
Lord."
b. Our power comes from Him. "And the power of His
might."
2. When Paul was praying for the Ephesians, he prayed that
they might know the exceeding greatness of His power
toward those who believe.
3. In his second prayer for them he asked that they might
be strengthened by His Spirit in their inner man.
4. When Paul was praying for his own infirmity the Lord
spoke to him and declared, "My grace is sufficient for
you, My strength will be perfected in your weakness."
5. You can, as Isaac Watts, be a physical wimp, but a
spiritual giant. He said as he stretched himself out to
his full four foot eleven inch stature,
"Were I so tall to reach the pole,
Or span the ocean with my hand,
I must be measured by my soul,
The mind is the standard of a man."
6. You may be a physical giant, and a spiritual wimp.
a. Goliath was a physical giant nine feet tall,
but he did not know the God of Israel, and he
defied Him.
b. Goliath fell before a stripling of a youth,
who knew the God of Israel.
B. They shall do exploits.
1. I would take you to Hebrews 11 to show you the exploits
of the men and women who knew their God.
a. Gideon with his 300 men routing over 135,000
Midianites.
b. Barak with the help of Deborah, routing the
forces of Sisera with his many iron chariots.
c. Sampson with a jawbone of a donkey as his only
weapon facing and destroying 1000 Philistines.
d. "Out of weakness were made strong, waxed
valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies
of the aliens.
2. The Bible is replete with stories of the great exploits
of those men who knew God and trusted in Him.
III. The bottom line question, do you know God?
A. Some people claim that He is unknowable, they claim to be
agnostics.
1. This is a claim usually made by those who suppose that
they are to intellectually sophisticated to believe in
a personal knowable God.
a. It is the problem of starting with an earth
base and seeking to reach heaven.
b. The finite, can never reach the infinite.
2. The friend of Job asked, "Who by searching can find out
God to perfection?"
B. To know God is the most important thing in life.
1. Jeremiah said, "Let not the wise man glory in his
wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let
not the rich man glory in his riches, but he that
glorieth let him glory in this that he knows Me, that
I am the Lord that exercises lovingkindness, judgment
and righteousness in the earth."
2. Paul told the Corinthians that God had not chosen many
wise, or many mighty or many noble men, for He has
chosen to use the foolish things of this world to
confound the wise. And the weak ones of this world to
confound the mighty, that no flesh should glory in His
sight.
a. God wants to do exploits on this earth, but it
is difficult to use the wise, for men will then
glory in the wisdom of men.
b. It is difficult for the same reason to use the
mighty and the strong.
C. There is no excuse not to know God. He has revealed Himself in
nature, which should lead you to His word, which will lead you
to His Son.
1. And this is life eternal, that they may know You the
only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
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Chuck Smith (1927 - 2013)
Pastor Chuck was used in the Jesus People revival where he was used along with others to minister to the hippy young people. They saw a work of the Spirit where many were added to the church and discipled. He has raised up many pastors who are a part of the Calvary Chapel movement now and where he pastors the large Costa Mesa church in California.The Calvary Chapel movement is based of simple principles that Chuck Smith taught over the years such as: The priority of agape love, Simple fellowship amongst the saints, the breaking of bread, the teaching of God's word chapter by chapter and verse by verse. And lastly and most importantly the principle not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord.