Knowing the Knower

As I continue thinking through the whole idea of knowing God and being known by God. I'm not 100% sure which is more remarkable - the concept that I can know God or that He knows me.

I guess I think of it like this - as a pastor, I can have a lot of people that feel a special connection with me. And if I am open and transparent as a pastor - a lot of people may say that they know me. Being the pastor of a relatively small church, for the most part I would also say that I know these people. But when I think of pastors of much larger churches, there comes a point when the pastor may be familiar with the faces that attend on Sunday morning or may recognize a person's name - but does this pastor really know the people that would say they know him or her?

God has made himself readily available to each and every one of us. We can know Him, we can worship Him, but the very thought that He KNOWS each and everyone of us sometimes blows me away. In God's eyes - I AM SOMEBODY. In God's eyes - each and everyone of us is a person of significance and importance. How cool is that?

Depending or knowing?

In the Bible, God paints several pictures of His relationship with us. He describes himself as the good shepherd, as our Father, as our King, and He also describes the church as his bride. Thinking through each of these relationships - one thing that stands out to me is that in each case whether it be as sheep, child, subject, or bride - knowing the shepherd, father, king, or husband is not only an emotional or intellectual knowledge - it is also a knowledge of dependence. Each of these relationships is built on love and trust - knowing that the one in whom we place our trust will protect us - and provide for us. It is a matter of knowing deep down in our heart that God has our best interests at heart - that He will always do whats best for us.

Sometimes we don't feel as if that is true. Emotionally it can seem as if we have a better plan - as if we know better becasue we are down in the trenches living it out day to day. The trouble with living in the trenches is that it is hard to see what is beyond the next trench. As we come to KNOW God - to know his character - to know his voice - we learn to depend upon him for wisdom and guidance even when we don't know what to do - or when it doesn't seem to make sense.

Personally I would love to say that I always understand exactly where God is taking me and what He is teaching me, but often times I find myself following and depending because I know that He will never lead me astray.

Why do we even care?

I've been talking about "Knowing God". I talked about the four evidences of knowing God, but I think that leads us to the simple questions - Why do I even care? Many people feel as if God is some abstract power or galactic being that is out there doing His own thing and they don't give it a second thought.

For me, as I look at life, I can't help but know in my heart that there is more to life than the short 80 or so years that we spend on this rock called earth. For as long as we have records of mankind, there has always been an underlying belief of some sort of life after death. Whether that is Valhalla, the happy hunting ground, paradise, heaven, or reincarnation. Mankind has almost alway believed that there is life after death.

In John 17:3 Jesus says "This is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent." Knowing God is the key to eternal life. Not merely knowing about Him. Satan and his followers know about God - but they do not know Him as Lord.

Looking back to the time when Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden, there was a time when God walked and talked with mankind - face to face. Adam and Eve knew God. In fact I would go so far as to say that that is why they were created to know God.

Hosea 6:6 says that God does not want our sacrfices - He wants our steadfast love. It also says that He does not want burnt offerings from us - what He truly desires is for us to KNOW GOD.

We were created to Know God and to be known by God. If we are not living out the very purpose for which we were created - then what's the point of life?

Peace - or is that Pieces?

The fourth evidence of knowing God is this - "those that know God have a great contentment in God." Sometimes it seems as if our lives are falling to pieces around us. We feel as if nothing is going our way. The same is true for other people in our lives. Some people face the same situations - or worse - and seem to maintain a great sense of peace and contenment, while others seem to crumble under the slightest pressure.

If we truly know God - if we trust Him - if He is really who we believe Him to be - it makes absolutely no sense for us to live in a state of worry or anxiety in life. Stress can't change the past and it can't control the future - it only makes us miserable in the moment.

The bible never promises that just becasue we are Christians life will be without problems and or troubles. In fact it says just the opposite. The bible says in James 1:2 "...when trouble comes your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." Not IF, but WHEN. Trouble is going to come - that's part of life. But what do we do with it when it comes?

If we KNOW God, then we should know that He is in control. That He loves us and is watching out for us. If we KNOW God as our personal Shepherd and Lord we should be able to trust Him with everything that is important to us and know that His plan is for our betterment.

Perhaps my favorite example of this is found in the bible in the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (That's Rack, Shack, and Benny for you Veggie Tales Fans.)

When King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden statue and demanded that everyone bow down and worship this image. Rack, Shack, and Benny refused.

Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." (Daniel 3:13-18, NLT)

Only through truly KNOWING GOD, not just knowing about God could these men have such peace and contentment in the face of mortal danger. They KNEW GOD, they knew that they could trust Him - regardless of the outcome, they could trust Him.

How about you - when life gets tough do you have the PEACE that comes from truly knowing God, or do you fall to PIECES wondering how you will ever make it through the tough situation you find yourself in?

Big, Bold and Beautiful

The third evidence of Knowing God - is that those people that know God show great boldness for God. Jesus said:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38 (NLT)

We need to wrecklessly pursue Christ with our lives - not the things of this world. The bible teaches us that no matter what we do - we should do it for the Lord - not for man.

I am in no way saying that we should completely disregard the opinions of man in our pursuit of Christ - the bible teaches us also to speak the truth in love and to do everything within our power to live at peace with our fellow man. But I am saying that we should never be ashamed to do what Christ is calling us to do.

God has a purpose for each of us. It is His purpose, not ours. Our lives are not our own and we should not hold back or be afraid to pursue Him withour lives because of what others may think of us.

In the same way we should never back down from what Christ has called us to just because we are afraid taht we may fail. If we only do the things that we are capable of doing on our own - always living our lives in fear and trepidation - then whose purpose are we fulfilling? Ours or God's?

People who know God and have given their lives to Him - and who trust Him with their lives will not be afraid to take risks for Him. If I live my life for Him and choose to give my life for His purposes and He chooses to pour it out as a sacrifice of offering to His glory - then so be it. God is God - I am not. I will serve Him with all that I am - choosing to pursue His purpose rather than my own.

Surley goodness and mercy will follow me all of the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen

God is Great

The second evidence of Knowing God is that those people that KNOW God have great thoughts of God. When I first read this I was a little confused, but as I thought about it - it all made sense.

Who or what is God to you? Is He a friend and confidant? Is He a shoulder to cry on when life is against you? Is He a good luck charm? Is He a mascot for your life? Or is He the ALMIGHTY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, master and creator of all things - the author and giver of life?

How do you approach God? Flippantly and in your spare time? Or do you humbly come into His presence waiting on the edge of your seat - hanging on His every word? Are you desparate to be in His presence and to hear from Him?

Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT)1... As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?

When can I go and stand before the Lord? We can do it any time - we can do it all the time. But do we? If we truly KNOW God and recognize Him for who and what He really is we will pursue Him with all that we have.

Energy for Life

Continuing with our theme of KNOWING GOD (with respect to J. I. Packer and his book Knowing God), I propose that if you truly KNOW GOD - not just know stuff ABOUT Him, that there will be evidence in your life. The first evidence of people that Know God is that they are people of great energy

Daniel 11:32 (ESV)
"...the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action."

People that know GOD will be people that take action. The evidence of their life will be a passion and a willingness to stand up for God. This is in contrast to the people that are seduced by society and the things of this world and live life their way -opposed to God.

Are you going through life as if you are enslaved in drudgery, or are you going through life with a passion and an excitement for what you believe in and stand for?

Jesus said in John 10 those of us that know Him follow him. We stand for what is right, we live our lives to make a difference, rather than simply going through the motions of life.

Eph 4:23-24 says:
"There must be spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness - righteous, holy, and true."

If we know Him - we are new creations - recreated in God's likeness and it should be evident in our lives.

Knowing God

I have been wrestling with the difference between knowing a lot ABOUT God and actually KNOWING GOD. Through this, I pulled out the book Knowing God by J.I. Packer. This is one of those books that I bought 15 years ago and have started reading once or twice only to get sidetracked - but this time - it is really speaking to me.

On one hand - people would argue that it is impossible for us, as finite beings, to really know God. He is so infinite and so far beyond our comprehension that it seems ridiculous for us to truly KNOW Him. And yet Jesus says that not only does He know us - but that we should know Him - and not just know him a little. He says that we should know Him the same way that He knows the Father and the Father knows Him.

John 10:14-15 (ESV)
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Wow - so how do we really KNOW God? I believe that it starts by knowing a lot about God and then meditating on His word and allowing it to permeate our lives and take root in our lives so that it transforms us from the inside out.

I am going to continue this theme of KNOWING GOD tomorrow.