Articles
Do You Know God?
I am certain that you have run into plenty of people who have boldly declared that they know God or at least they claim to know of Him. Quite a few people who hold to some religious belief will lean this way even though they don’t necessarily understand the questions. Here is what I mean by that:
1. But I already know God—In a survey done, 10 people were asked whether or not they believed they knew God. All ten responded with a resounding affirmation that they in fact knew Him. The same 10 people were asked whether or not they believed homosexuality was a sin. Only one individual responded with a yes and the other 9 did not hesitate to say no. But remember, these are people that know God. A disturbing poll by the respected Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals that U.S. atheists and agnostics, as well as Jews and Mormons, know more about religion and God than do most of the strong majority of Americans who are Protestants and Catholics. Fewer than half of Americans can name the four Christian gospels, according to the Pew survey of 3,400 adult Americans. One-third of Americans falsely believe, according to other polls, that evangelist Billy Graham delivered the Sermon on the Mount (It was Jesus.) And more than half of Americans do not recognize that Judaism is a religion. Still another poll showed one in 10 Americans believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Another one in five believe that Sodom and Gomorrah were a married couple. In Matt. 7:21-23, Jesus Christ is speaking of those who apparently know Him. Jesus declares these statements to the same people that say, but we already know God. So, what’s wrong? The Apostle Paul says, “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Tit. 1:16).But that sounds like people that don’t care about God at all. Well in John 8:39-47, Jesus speaks to the Jews who claim to be of Abraham, but they are of the devil! In Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”The actions of those who say they already know God speak for themselves against what they profess to know. People that say they know God but don’t abide by the principles and statutes that are essential to come to know Him don’t really know God.
2. What does it mean to Know God? —So where does that leave us? What does it mean to know God? Well I’ll tell you what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that we come to services and depend upon the preacher to tell us everything. It doesn’t mean that we go home and forget about the living breathing word of God we call the Bible. It doesn’t mean that we don’t pray and talk to each other and encourage each other. You remember Matt. 7:21, “But He who does the will of my Father in Heaven…”Doing the will of God and knowing God means having and maintaining a deep, one on one intimate relationship with God. In 1 Jn. 1:6-9 and 1 Jn. 4:6-8 the bible tells us that knowing God means loving God and following all of His commandments. It is not picking and choosing which ones we want or which ones we don’t want but doing all He tells us to do. It means investing time in knowing God’s word because that is His complete guide and the manual to the way we must construct and maintain our lives. We ought not to be battling biblical illiteracy like many who believe homosexuality is okay and Billy Graham preached the Sermon on the Mount. Knowing God means obeying the gospel and giving your careful attention to it. Like a young child who is taught to look twice before they cross a trafficable road, so we must do with our spiritual lives. (Eph. 4:17-24)
3. Does God Know You?— When all is said and done, when the end of the matter is heard, what will matter is whether or not we know God and ultimately whether or not God knows us. And the truth of the matter is that we may think we know Him, but He may not recognize who we are. Folks, knowing God is good but He being able to know us is the be all end all. In Rev. 3:1-2- “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.”That’s frightening stuff. Terrifying! To be under the impression that we know Him but, yet He does not know us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep (John 10:11-16). We can be certain that Jesus knows us if we do everything He says, and I mean all that He says. Nothing less. The Shepherd comes to lead the sheep back to the fold and if the sheep do not listen they will ultimately go astray to their own deaths and fall prey to the enemy.
When that final day comes, and it will come, books will be opened we will be judged and we will either hear those faithful words “Well done Good and Faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many. Enter into the joy of the Lord”or“depart from me you who practice lawlessness for I never knew you.”In, 2 Thess. 1:6-9 the Bible says:“To those who don’t know Him who haven’t obeyed the gospel His wrath will be revealed from Heaven…”They will be banished from His presence forever. “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness”(2 Tim. 2:19).
We must often take a step-back re-evaluate our stance with God and ask ourselves if we know God (1 Cor. 8:2-3). Jesus said when He returns will He find faith on this earth? Jesus wants to know you, He wants to know me, He wants to know every one of us, whether or not He does falls on us and whether our deepest desire is to know Him. It’s a condition. If we come to Him He will come to us. If we desire to know Him He will know us.
