3.8.16 Bible Study
Subject: Knowing Him for Yourself
Philippians 3:10-11 (NKJV) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Introduction
God always has a fresh and deeper truth He wants us to learn about Him. So one He has taught us one thing, get ready for the next marvelous truth God will soon introduce.
God desires that we grasp the fullness of His character as a father and a protector of His creation or His children. The essence of eternal life- is for us to personally know God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. Knowing God does not come through a program, a study, or a method. It is the result of a vibrant, growing, one-on-one relationship with God. Within this intimate connection, God will reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways so we can know Him in deeper and profound dimensions.
That is why the atmosphere must always be conducive to allowing Him to introduce Himself to someone next to you or even you in a manner in which we haven’t known. When we experience God in these ways and obey what God tells us, He then can accomplish in us things only He can do; also, as the Lord works in and through our life, we will come to know Him even more closely.
I. Experience God’s Protection
A. Ps. 41:2 The Lord will protect him and keep him alive; he shall be called blessed in the land; and You will
not deliver him to the will of his enemies. Ps 121:7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.
B. Experience His Divine safeguarding
There is a world of difference between knowing something to be true in your head and experiencing the reality
in your life.
C. Scripture is filled with descriptions of God’s character.
1. God does not merely want you to read about Him; He wants you to know Him.
2. Greeks have to know by concept.
3. Hebrews have to know by experience.
4. Jesus said eternal life is knowing God. He was speaking as a Hebrew. He did not mean that eternal life is
knowing about God.
II. Knowing God through His names
A. In biblical days, a Hebrew person’s name represented his character or described their nature.
B. Write down what your name represents in character or nature
C. God’s revelation of Himself to people
1. The Lord will provide (Yahweh Jireh)
a. Genesis 22:13-17 (AMP) 13 Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was
a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering and an ascending sacrifice instead of his son!14 So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. And it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it will be provided.15 The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 And said, I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that since you have done this and have not withheld [from Me] or begrudged [giving Me] your son, your only son, 17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies, [Heb. 6:13, 14; 11:12.]
b. God’s perfected provision
Phil 4:13 (AMP) I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything
and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s
sufficiency].
III. Knowing Him in relationship and not just a name
A. Whenever God reveals His nature in a new way, it is always for a purpose. He created you for a love relationship with Him. When He encounters you, He is allowing you to know Him by experience.
Ps. 89:15-18 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the people who know the joyful sound [who
understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings symbolized by the feasts]; they walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance! 16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, and in Your righteousness they are exalted.17 For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment], and by Your favor our horn is exalted and we walk with uplifted faces! 18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
IV. Conclusion: Someone has wisely pointed out, “One of the most dangerous forms of human error is forgetting what one is trying to achieve.” That is especially true in the Christian life. It’s easy to get sidetracked. We need to be clear and focused at all times on what it is we’re after.
What is the goal of the Christian life? It we forget it, we’re not likely to achieve it. It can be stated in several forms, but in our Philippians text, the Apostle Paul nicely sums up what we’re supposed to be aiming for:
The goal of the Christian life is to know Christ and to be like Him.
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