YOU CAN KNOW GOD

If someone were to ask if you knew some famous person or possibly some great figure out of
history, how would you answer? You might say, "I know a lot about that person, but I don't
know him. One of the most exciting truths of the Christian
faith is the promise of knowing God personally. Many people believe God exists, but we could
never know Him. Jesus prayed for us to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has
sent (i). The Bible says you can only know God as you come to know Jesus Christ.ii Jesus
said, "I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.

On a recent trip with a group to Thailand, we took a boat tour on the canals. Our group
enjoyed talking with our bright young guide. As we were departing one of us gave him a copy
of a booklet about becoming a disciple of Jesus. Before long he came running after us.
Catching up to my wife who was walking at the back of our party, he said, "Look what they
gave me!" "Yes," she answered, "My husband wrote that booklet." He then ran up to ask me
about the booklet. "When was Jesus born?" he asked. I thought he was asking about the date
of Christmas, so I said, "We celebrate in December,but the Bible doesn't tell us the date of
His birth."

"But it was about 2000 years ago?"

"Yes, that is correct," I replied.

He continued, "Buddha was born twenty four hundred years ago."

"Buddha," I answered, "was a man. Jesus is the Son of God who became a man." This is an
important point. Both the New and Old Testaments of the Bible teach that there is only one
God. Yet the Old Testament in predicting His coming says Jesus would be called "The
Mighty God (v)." Both Testaments of the Bible call Jesus, "Immanuel, which means God with
us." In Colossians 2:9 the New Testament says that in Jesus the fullness of the Godhead
lives in bodily form. While He was on earth Jesus told a disciple named Phillip, "Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father(vii). The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God
revealing Himself to us, and the only way we can come to know God is by coming to know Jesus
(viii). Our young guide continued to smile as so many people in that friendly country do,
but his words were a little nervous, not wishing to offend but wanting answers."Does He
exist?" he asked me. "Absolutely," I answered. He is real and near to us."

Still smiling but speaking a little doubtfully, he asked, "How could I know that? Could I
know Him?" I suggested he begin by praying, "Jesus, if You exist, show yourself to me. If
You are real, I want to know You." God spoke through the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah,
saying, "You will seek me and find me, if you seek me with all your heart(ix). This promise
is still true. You can find God when you seek Him with all your heart. How earnestly are
you willing to seek after Him?

If God is real and personal, what does it mean to know Him? This is an important question
for anyone interested in truly knowing God.

I. Knowing someone personally implies conversation.

Does talking to God seem a little strange to you? The Bible teaches that God can hear us
when we pray even though we cannot see Him. Prayer is at the very heart of Christianity.
Christianity is not simply a philosophy or a list of teachings. God invites us into a
relationship with Him through His Son Jesus that is real and meaningful. The Bible teaches
that a person becomes a child of God by faith in Jesus. You must believe enough to trust Jesus
to accept you, forgive you, and begin a personal relationship with you. He is the initiator.
If you seek Him and trust Him He will establish a relationship with you.

Part of prayer is asking God for forgiveness. There is a longing in every person to know
God. But our sin puts us at enmity with Him. From the time humans began to sin, we have
been separated from God. Jesus died on a Roman cross and rose from the dead so our fellowship
with God might be restored. The Bible says, Jesus "was delivered over to death for our sins
and was raised to life for our justification. You must be right with God before you
can begin to get to know Him.

Prayer is more than talking to God. Prayer is two-way communication. God speaks by the Holy
Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the gathering of believers to reveal
Himself, His purposes and His ways (xv). In fact, God initiates conversation with us. The
Bible says no one will come to Jesus, if God does not draw him. It is God who has arranged
for you to read this booklet. He is evidently drawing you to Himself.

II. Knowing God personally influences your life.

Jesus calls people to a radically different way of life, a life style of love and obedience
to God. Many people long for such a change in attitude and action, but fear it is impossible.
But one of the great marvels of a relationship with Christ as the power of His internal
influence on us. An authority or a law coming from outside a person can never produce real
change. It may force you to change your behavior, but an outside authority can never change
your nature. But Jesus comes to dwell in us becoming an internal influence. In the New
Testament Book of Philippians says that God will work in you, "to will and to do what
pleases him (xvi). The internal influence of Jesus affects your will, your ability to
desire what is right. Do you believe that a life that pleases God would also be enjoyable?
Would you like to desire what pleases God?

III. A relationship with God is eternal.

One of the most painful facts about relationships is that they come to an end. Many of us
experienced the loss of a parent through divorce in the most vulnerable period of our lives.
Others of us have gone through the separation and divorce of our own marriages, leaving us
with a terrific sense of betrayal, guilt, bitterness, and often loneliness. People fear
entering permanent relationships because of the pain of separation. But casual relationships
leave unfulfilled needs deep within a person. And the repeated disruption of such relationships
is a continuous source of emotional damage. All human relationships must end eventually. Even
good marriages must come to an end. People fail. People are displaced. People die. God alone
can meet your need for a relationship that will never be disrupted. The Old Testament Book of
Isaiah told about the coming of Jesus, saying that He would be called, the Everlasting Father
(xvii). Many men grow up wishing their fathers had been there for them when they needed them.
But even fathers who were not absent in childhood cannot always be there for you. There will
always come a time when dad is no longer around. The Bible says Jesus would be called the
"Everlasting Father." He is the father who is always near. Jesus will never cast us away from
His side. Jesus spoke about that secure relationship when He said, "All that the Father gives
me will come to me. And he who comes to me I will never cast out. (xviii)

IV. Knowing Christ personally requires total submission.

All of us choose to submit to certain things in our lives. Most of us submit to employers.
We submit to governments, to doctors, teachers and taxi drivers. When you come to God you
must recognize that He is your creator and the one who owns your life. Submission to God
is an exercise of faith, it requires that you believe God exists and desires what is best
for you (xix). In the Lord's prayerxx we pray for His will to be done. Faith in Jesus
includes the confidence that the very best thing that could happen would be the will of God.
I have known people who submitted to the care of a doctor even though they were afraid of
the treatment he might introduce. They knew the surgery or procedure was necessary for their
health or even their lives. You can trust the Great Physician far more than a human healer.
You can trust God even when what He asks is fearful or difficult. Peter, who may be the best
known of Jesus' disciples, had trouble submitting to anyone. He was a rough fisherman and an
independent businessman. His bold personality is clearly seen in the Gospels.xxi One day
Jesus asked His disciples what others were saying about Him. They were saying He was John
the Baptist risen from the dead or one of the Old Testament prophets. Then Jesus asked a
more important question. "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered first. "You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God. (xxii) Jesus told Peter that he learned that from God.
A few minutes later Jesus started saying He was going to be crucified. Peter took Jesus
aside and rebuked Him. "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!" "Get behind me
Satan." Jesus said. You have in mind the things of men not the things of God." (xxiii)
Again and again Peter had to learn to trust Jesus even when he could not understand.
Peter wrote in his first book in the New Testament, "Cast all your anxiety on Him for
He cares for you(xxiv).

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans. "That if you confess with your mouth,
"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will
be saved(xxv).

What does it mean to confess that Jesus is Lord? Most of us do not use the word "lord." The
word "master" means more to us because a master may train his dog or teach martial arts.
Confessing Jesus as your Lord or Master means voluntarily yielding to His control in
your life. It is to say, "I surrender my will to Yours."

V. Submission to God requires a decision.

Repentance is another word from the Bible that we do not use in other contexts. In the
early days of Christianity Peter called to a crowd of people gathered in the city of
Jerusalem. "Repent then and turn to God," he said, "so that your sins may be wiped out,
and times of refreshing may come from the Lord."xxvi The Living Bible paraphrases "repent"
in this verseas "change your mind and attitude toward God." Repentance is a decision to
change the direction of your life. You must make a radical break from living for yourself
to live for God in fellowship with Jesus. Marriage vows may be a good picture of repentance.
Some traditional vows say, "Forsaking all others, cleave only unto her/him." That is the
point of marriage. Marriage is also a public declaration that two people belong to one
another. Turning to God requires a decision of totalcommitment. It includes a commitment
to stop
doing things you know are wrong, and began living for God. Only God can give you the power
to change. But receiving Jesus requires us to be willing to obey Him in all things.

VI. Are you ready to decide?

If you are ready for a life of knowing God, you may wish to pray a prayer something
like this: "Lord, I know that you are God. I surrender my life to You. I need you to
forgive me for things that I have done that were wrong. I want to start doing what
pleases You. I need You to come into my life to help me live like you want me to live,
to become what you want me to become and to accomplish what You created me to do.

VII. What's next?

Keep on praying.

Discipline yourself to spend time alone with God every day. You can pray wherever you go,
whatever you are doing. Pray for people around you in the market or on the street. Talk to
God about everything. Ask Him to meet your needs and draw you closer to Him. You will still
be tempted to do things that are wrong. When you fail, don't give up. God has promised to
forgive you when you are honest with Him.xxvii The Old Testament prophet Samuel told the
people of Israel, "Don't be afraid. You have done all this sin, but do not turn away from
the Lord (xxviii). When you ask, God will forgive. Don't fall into the trap of just praying
for yourself. Start paying for other people as well. Think about things they need, and ask
God to meet them. As you pray God will help you expand your prayers to His great purposes.

Start reading your Bible.

The Bible is a vital source of spiritual growth. God will teach you and open His word to you.
You will understand things that never made any sense before. God's Spirit is now at work in
your life. Find a good church and join it.

Find a group of believers who will encourage and teach you. A church is not an organization,
or a building; it is a family that will help you grow strong in Christ. No church is perfect,
but we need each other to live for Jesus.

Tell others about Jesus.

You don't have to go to school for years to tell people what Jesus has done and is doing in
your life. You are a witness of God who is at work in you. God will help you say what people
need to hear to come to Christ.

You can contact us.
Trinity Baptist Church
9802 Meadow Rd. SW
Lakewood, WA 98499
(253) 584-8856
http://pages.prodigy.net/trinitybaptist
David Young
Davidbyoung@lwol.com

i The Bible, John 17:1-12
ii Ibid., 1 Timothy 2:5
iii Ibid., John 14:6
iv There are two main divisions of the Bible, the Old Testament which was written before
Christ predicting his coming, and the New Testament which was written after Christ came.
v Ibid., Isaiah 9:6
vi Ibid., Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23
vii Ibid., John 14:9
viii Ibid, John 14:6, Acts 4:12
ix Ibid., Jeremiah 29:13
x Ibid, Psalm 17:6
xi Ibid., Revelation 3:20, John 1:12
xii Ibid., Isaiah 59:1,2
xiii Ibid., Romans 4:25
xiv Justification means being put in a right standing with God.
xv Experiencing God, Knowing and Doing the Will of God, By Henry Blackaby and Claud V. King,
xvi The Bible, Philippians 2:13
xvii Ibid., Isaiah 9:6
xviii Ibid., John 6:37
xix Ibid., Hebrews 11:6
xx Ibid., Matthew 6:9-13
xxi Ibid., The first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
xxii Ibid., Matthew 16:16
xxiii Ibid., Matthew 16:23
xxiv Ibid., I Peter 5:7
xxv Ibid., Romans 10:9
xxvi Ibid., Acts 2:19
xxvii Ibid., 1 John 1:9
xxviii 1 Samuel 12:20