GOD IS…
Why We Must Know God
A billboard displays a temperature of 118 degrees
Fahrenheit, or 48 degrees Celsius, on July 18, 2023, during a record heat wave
in Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix
suffers a record 31 straight days of 110-degree highs. To what do we attribute
this extreme heat?
Cape Cod is a favorite tourist destination. Its
population triples during the Summer. Can you imagine this gorgeous travel
destination might not exist in the next 50 years? According to one survey, "Cape
Cod has experienced 11 inches of sea rise since 1922. Going by Cape Cod
scientists' findings, the estimated increase of 6-8 inches will threaten Cape
Cod's existence. This may see the extinction of this beautiful place by the sea
in 50 years.[1]
Globally, the Russia-Ukrainian war, which most people
thought would end in a matter of days, lasted over 545 days and is still being
fought fiercely. We all feel its impact. When will this come to an end? Nobody
knows! Other issues, such as gun violence in our country, culture wars,
abortion issues, hunger, inequality, injustice, and conflict in Israel, may continue
for a long time.
Thinking about all these things, one of the Rabbis in
our recent interfaith gathering expressed his anguish, saying, "I feel so
powerless. Maybe this is what I would speak during the Jewish high holidays, "The
powerlessness of Man." That statement made me think about how weak we are
when solving these overwhelming global challenges. How could we remain hopeful and
yet make a difference in the world? We need God's help to deal with complex
problems.
For the past several weeks, we have been focusing on
healthy Christians and what they can do for God. In the coming weeks, we will
focus on who God is. I want to call my new series God IS... We will look
at what God tells us about himself in the Bible. How does He
reveal himself? What does he want us to know about him? We will explore seven
attributes of God.
What comes to your mind when you think
of God? Some think God is my higher power. Some humorously call him "the
man upstairs." A college student once asked Billy Graham, what kind of a
guy is God? A.W. Tozer said God is not like anything. Explaining the necessity
of knowing God J. I Packer once said, "Disregard the study of God, and you
sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were,
with no sense of direction."
Before we go further, I want us to
address the absolute importance of Knowing God. In seminary, we study systematic
theology. In Greek, theology means "words about God" or "the
study of God"). In other words, theology is all about God, His nature, purpose,
and works.
Our knowledge of God helps us
understand who we are, our purpose in this world and opens up a way for
salvation. All life and goodness flow from God as a light shining in the
darkness. Despite this, many Christians spend far more time considering things
that are secondary to God's character than the character of God itself."
There are several reasons in the scriptures why we must know God intellectually
and experientially. I will share three of them.
I. We must know God To Worship Him.
We have learned the first vital sign
of a healthy Christian is that he grows in His worship of God. How could we love and adore someone
without ever meeting or knowing that person? Similarly, we cannot worship God
without knowing Him. Our knowledge of God informs and motivates our worship. Hosea
6:6, "I want you to show love, (Mercy), not offer sacrifices. I want you
to know me (God) more than I want burnt offerings." God wants us to know
Him more.
Jesus, while speaking with the
Samaritan woman, challenged her uninformed worship of God. "You Samaritans
know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him...
For God is Spirit, those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."
John 4:22-24. Knowing God in his splendor and glory helps us to worship Him in
Spirit and Truth.
II. God challenges us to Know Him as the only God.
God is incomprehensible and, at the
same time, knowable. Psalm 145:3, "Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of
praise! No one can measure his greatness. Job 26:14, "These are just the
beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can
comprehend the thunder of his power?" This awesome God revealed Himself to
us so that we might know Him.
The creation declares the Glory of
God. Psalm 19:1-2, "The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies
display his craftsmanship. Day after day, they continue to speak; night after
night, they make him known." How can people deny the existence of God when
they see this glorious world" Bible calls them fools (Ps 14:1), and they
have no excuse for not knowing Him.
Romans 1:20, "For ever since the
world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God
made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine
nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God." God has a challenge
for us.
Jeremiah 9:23-24, "This is what the Lord
says: "Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in
their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should
boast in this alone: That they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who
demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the
earth and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!" Do
you know Him?
How should we honor this incredible
God? Come let us, "Shout with Joy to the Lord. Worship the LORD with
gladness. Come before him, singing with Joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his. We are His people, the sheep of his pasture."
Ps 100:1-3. God wants us to know Him as the only God and no other. "I am
the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don't
even know me, so all the world from East to West will know there is no other
God. I am the Lord, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:5-6.
III. God invites us to Know Him So that we might trust Him.
God has performed wonderful and powerful
things throughout history so that people would get to know Him and learn to
trust Him. In the passage we read, King David saw God's miraculous power as a
young boy firsthand all the way up to his Kingship. David's knowledge of God
was not just intellectual but experiential. So with confidence, he would sing:
Psalm 25:1-5, "O Lord, I give my
life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced or let my
enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but
disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Show me the right path, O
Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for
you are the God who saves me. All day long, I put my hope in you."
David was regarded as the greatest
king of Israel, and to his credit, there were many accomplishments. Yet his
confidence was not in human resources but in God. Psalm 20: 6-8, "Now I
know that the Lord rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy
heaven and rescue him by his great power. Some nations boast of their chariots
and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God." Those
nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm."
I wish all national leaders and citizens would heed David's advice.
We can totally rely upon this God of
the universe and trust Him to care for us, provide for us, heal us, and deliver
us from our troubles. I have known these truths from an early age, both
intellectually and experientially. My God is trustworthy. He can take care of
you, but first, you must come to Him, believe that He exists, and rewards those
who will trust Him. Let me repeat these few reasons why we must know Him: We
must know God to Worship Him.
We must Know Him because He challenges
us to know Him as the only one God. We must know God to trust Him. God invites all
of us to Be still and Know that He is God and there is no other.
