KNOWING GOD – Pursuing your own personal relationship with The Master! (WATCH the VIDEO – See “Links” below)

Did you know that Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, was allergic to carrots?   And that Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light bulb, was afraid of the dark?  And the electric chair was invented by a dentist … Dr. Alfred P. Southwick …  I wonder what was he thinking!

But seriously,  knowing someone personally is entirely different from simply knowing something about that person.  Actually knowing someone requires a first-hand experience with that individual.

 

Following the Crucifixion of Jesus, the first three centuries saw much intense persecution of the early Christian Church.  This was the time when you’ve heard of Christians being thrown to very hungry, very angry lions.

 

Now, there’s an Aesop’s Fable, which is a fictitious story, but it takes place in this historical period, and it illustrates a profound lesson in the value of knowing someone.

 

A Christian slave named Androcles had escaped from his master and fled into the forest. As he was wandering about, in search of shelter and sustenance, he came upon a lion, lying on the ground, moaning and groaning.

Startled, Androcles initially turned to flee, but seeing that the lion did not pursue him, he turned back and cautiously re-approached the suffering animal.  As Androcles drew near, he quickly observed that the lions paw was bleeding and swollen, with a huge thorn embedded between his pads.

Androcles carefully, gently removed the thorn, then bound up the lion’s paw.   Presently, the big cat was able to rise to his feet, and licked the hand of his benefactor. Then the lion led Androcles to the refuge of his cave, and, each day thereafter, the lion would bring his new human friend things to eat, as he hunted for his own food.

But one day while the lion was out hunting, Androcles was captured by the Roman authorities and, as was often the punishment, the runaway slave was sentenced to be thrown to the lions.

The Amphitheatre was filled to capacity, as the Emperor and his court came to see the spectacle.  A terrified Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena.   A large door across the arena was opened, and a seriously angry, obviously under-fed lion leaped from the shadows and bounded toward the quivering Androcles.

But as the lion neared Androcles, he ceased his roaring and stopped in his tracks, as he recognized his friend.  Slowly, he walked up to the stunned Androcles, until they were face -to-face.  Then the lion rubbed his head on Androcles’ chest and licked his hands.

The puzzled Emperor, summoned Androcles, for an explanation of what he had just witnessed.  Androcles related to the Emperor his entire, incredible story, whereupon the slave was pardoned and set free, while the lion was returned to his forest home.

 

That lion probably hadn’t been fed for several days.  And Androcles surely must have looked like an hors-d’oeuvre!   So, why didn’t the lion simply snarf up poor Androcles?

 

Well, they knew each other!  Having established a reciprocating relationship prior to that made a big difference,  didn’t it?

 

What’s involved in knowing someone?

 

When I first laid eyes on the lady who was to become my wife, I was absolutely smitten.  There she stood behind the cosmetics counter at the Bon Ton; peaches-and-cream complexion, dancing blue eyes,  golden curls spilling down on her black smock and black turtle-neck sweater.  She was stunningly pretty!   And then she spoke - with that soft, German accent – and I was toast!   This was an exotic woman! 

But looking beyond her beauty, my initial wonderations were: Who are you? What are you like?  What do you stand for?  Do you have integrity?  Do you have strength of character?  Could you be a “keeper”?

 

So, how do you get to know someone?  You spend time together, you communicate,  and you begin to do things together.

 

Thru spending time with her, talking together, going for walks, sharing meals, she gradually revealed herself to me.  And I did the same.  I wanted to show her who I am – and what I could be to her.

Each morning, I’d give her a brief wake-up phone call, and I frequently brought her dinner at her second job, because she frequently skipped meals and worked straight through.

 

I shared  Scripture with her – comfort, strength, and encouragement.  And this is how our relationship grew.

 

The Bible says that our Heavenly Father desires a heart relationship with each of us –  one that works like that – a relationship that He likens to the closeness and trust of a marriage relationship.

 

God says in Psalm 139:1,  “You may not know me, but I know everything about you.”

And He counsels in Psalm 46:10  “Be still and know that I am God.”  Be at peace and know Who I am.

Why?  One reason is that He desires to reproduce His character in each of us.  That’s primarily why He sent Jesus to be our Living Example.  So, we need to know Who He is and what He’s like, if we are to become like Him. 

 

Scripture teaches that knowing God is the key  to life, right here and now – as well as beyond this brief blip in the history of the cosmos.

Listen as Jesus speaks in the Gospel of John 17:3:

“This is life eternal:  that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent”.  Eternal life is predicated on knowing God.

 

In his second letter to the church at Thesalonica, (II Thes 1:7,8)  the Apostle Paul says that Jesus will “… return in judgment of those who know Him not “.  Why??   Well, because they’ve frittered-away an entire lifetime of opportunity to know and acknowledge the very One who gives them life each day!

 

Then, there’s  Matthew 25:12 - This is a  parable of the closed door at the conclusion of the judgment.  Jesus says that many will come to Him on that day and exclaim,  ”Wait a minute!  I belong in there!  I healed the sick in your name!  I did great things in Your name!”

But Jesus will only reply, “We never knew each other.”  There was no relationship between us.  Perhaps you labored for a noble purpose, but you were working your own agenda.

Knowing Him provides all the right reasons for serving Him.  And then, good works will be the consequence of our relationship with The Master, rather than coming from a sense of obligation.

 

Let’s get these ducks in a row, now:

Knowing Him is essential to life, itself

Neglecting the opportunity to know Him could exclude us from Eternity

And performing marvelous works, even in His Name, is no valid substitute for having a personal, trusting relationship with Him.

 

When I was a young man, I knew right from wrong, and I tried to do what was right, and tried not to do what was wrong.  That was work!  That was really hard!   I didn’t know God.  I was hacking it out on my own and not doing very well at all.  I went around in circles, banging into things, hurting people and alienating those who loved me.  I did a lot of damage!

Listen to the plea of the Apostle Paul:  I Cor 15:34 “… for some have not the knowledge of God.  I speak this to your shame.”

And in the Clear Word Bible I found this: ““I have been misrepresented by those who do not know Me”.

GOD WANTS US TO KNOW HIM -  Who  He is,  what He’s  like.

What does He require of me / What does He want from me?

What’s in it for me?  What are the benefits?  These are legitimate questions!

Our Father earnestly desires the same type of personal relationship with us  that we desire from our loved ones.

So, how DO you get to know God?

 

I never knew my father – I knew about him: I’d seen photos, I’d heard stories and incidents, heard peoples’ experiences with my Dad.  But I never met the man.  And he never seemed real to me.

My father was killed during World War II, right after I was born.  My mother’s collection of stories was limited by the fact that they had only been married a year before he was assigned to duty in New Guniea, in the South Pacific.

But then one evening, my Mom called me into her room, sat me down in a chair, and handed me a pack of letters that my father had written, years ago.  She said, “I think you’re old enough to understand now.  Make yourself comfortable and you can take your time with this.”  She left the room and closed the door.

As I began reading those letters, my father was gradually revealed to me through his written thoughts, his concerns, his passions, his hopes and desires for when he would return, the depth of his love for my mother, and his hopes for me – the child still in her womb - all expressed in those yellowed epistles.  And as I re-read and re-read them, I learned still more fully who he really was.

Do you know, this same process applies to pursuing an acquaintance with our Heavenly Father?  Same track, different train, but they are parallel processes.

 

Our Heavenly Father reveals Himself in many ways –

1) Thru His written Word – thru reading His letters to us.  The Scriptures are the transcript of His character, which He wants to reproduce in us.  In His Word, we see the extent of His great love for mankind, His tremendous patience, His mercy and grace in how he deals with people and situations

 

2) He is revealed thru His Son.   Jesus is The Word made flesh – the express image of The Father.  Jesus came to reveal to humankind the very character and nature of the Father.

And in John 14:9,  the disciple Philip says to Jesus, “Show us the Father,” and Jesus responds: “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and still you do not know Me?   If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.”  In Jesus we see God personified.

 

3) God is revealed by The Holy Spirit,  Whom Jesus sent to lead us into all Truth.  Scripture refers to Jesus as “The Way, The Truth, and The Life”.   And He is the express image of The Father.  And the Holy Spirit is the true Author of the Scriptures, which reveal the character of God.  “Thy Word is Truth”.

 

4) He is revealed in nature – Nature is called God’s “Second Book”.  Beholding the handiwork of an artisan reveals much about that person.  Nature is the evidence of God’s love and power.

 

5) Knowing God is rooted – and finds its ultimate fulfillment in His Sabbath, the very sign of His authority as Sovereign of all creation.

The Sabbath, the memorial of creation, reveals God as the Creator

The Sabbath reveals that it is He Who has saved us

The Sabbath is His sign throughout our generations that it is He Who sanctifies us.

Sabbath time is that special parcel of time – a “tithe” of our time – that He has set aside for fellowship with Him, to develop and build and pursue a trusting relationship with Him.  To genuinely know Him.

 

Job (11:7) asks the question, ” Can you, by searching,  find out God?”

Well, Scripture says: the very capability to know Him and to understand His ways and His purposes …is a gift – it’s a gift to those who desire it!

Paul’s prayer in his letter to the church at Ephesus (1:17)  was ” … that the God of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him .”

So, the ability to know God is His gift  to the genuine seeker.

God speaks thru the prophet Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know Me …”

And the New English Bible translates that passage, “I will give them the wit to know me.”

 

Let’s put some shoes on this, now.  This means we can pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, and ask Him for the gift to know him as a caring “Daddy”.  Perhaps you’ll recall that Jesus, in Gethsemane, addressed His Father as “Abba”.  The term “Abba”  is the familiar form of “father” that a loving child would use, such as “Daddy”!  Isn’t that neat?  That’s what He wants with us!

Thru the prophet Malachi God invites: “Try me and see if I will not open the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing “    The context here is  His response to our demonstration of faith in Him.

 

In Psalms 34:8, King David challenges us: “O taste and see that the Lord is good.  Blessed is the man who trusteth in Him.”

 And if we are to trust Him, we must first know Who He is.   Could you possibly place your trust in someone you don’t even know?  Of course not!

And again from the Clear Word:  “Getting to know God should be our number one priority.  For He will  provide all our other necessities.”

 

And once we know Him, then whatever He asks of us … isn’t really a problem.

 

There was one particularly interesting letter in that packet my Mom handed me.  It was short, yet so profound – My Dad wrote a letter to me!   To a now newborn, little me!  As I read it, again and again, I could hear the gentle voice of a caring Daddy speaking so tenderly to the apple of his eye!  Without question, my father was speaking directly to me.  This was indeed mine!

 

Our Heavenly Father has written letters to us, personally … Letters that reveal to us His Character, His wisdom, His purposes, His counsel for a victorious, abundant life – and the Roadmap that leads us to His Eternal Kingdom.  We can hear His voice when we open His Word and ask HIm for His wisdom and the understanding that He has clearly promsed up.

 

This is so much more that going to church.  We can get so caught up with “doing church” that we forget that this is not about us … it’s entirely about Him.  It’s about knowing Him personally and responding to Him from the depths of the heart.

 

It goes far beyond trying to do what’s right and trying not to do what’s wrong.  That’s so exhausting!  And we’re bound to become discouraged and fail

 

As I got to know my wife more completely, the things that were pleasing to her became more interesting to me; and those character traits of mine that may have been unattractive to her lost their sparkle, and disappeared.  Pursuing our relationship had a refining effect on my entire being.

It’s exactly like that as we pursue a relationship with our Heavenly Father.  The horse pulls the cart!  And as the relationship moves forward, the behavior and the willingness to serve Him will follow – as a consequence, rather than as an obligation – because we’re seeking to honor and to please Our Lord!  That’s sanctification on wheels!  By beholding Him as He truly is, we become changed into His likeness.

Have you giants to slay?  Are there mountains you must climb?  Demons at the door?  Are you facing some hungry, angry lions?  You need to know:  the same One who silenced the lions on behalf of our friend, Daniel, in that Lion’s Den, is alive and well, and still very much in business as Sovereign of the Universe.  And it is He Who wants to be Lord of every phase of your life.

 

We need to know - for ourselves  – what His Book says -  and all that it reveals of its Author and the Author’s Son.

And He has promised to give us the understanding to KNOW HIM  –  to know His power, His purposes, and His benefits.  It’s yours – claim it now!