Knowing God

Introduction

-Ever feel stuck when finding things to praise God about? It’s easy to pray about what’s going on in our lives. We can lift up request after request without much effort, because it’s constantly on our minds and is very real to us. That makes sense, we know our desires, our struggles, and our cares intimately. It matters a great deal to us. But what about God? Where does He rank in our prayers?

There is always room to grow in our prayer life. Prayer is meant to be primarily focused on God: who He is, what He does, and His interactions with us. In the Psalms we read of songs and prayers that people wrote to God. We learn who God is by the praises of others, and thus, we get to know God ourselves.

Let’s take a look at a Psalm of David to learn how we can get to know God personally.

I. Knowing God through Creation (vs. 1-6)

A. The world had a beginning

1. Even atheists acknowledge this:

a. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, “[I]t is easy for me to imagine that everything in our lives is just the creation of some other entity (he claims super aliens)” (find quotes about the beginning of the universe).

2. We agree the universe had a beginning and we disagree with how it began. The universe is the result (or the effect), so, what was the cause?

B. Creation gives us a billboard view of reality

1. Billboards don’t have much room for giving you the details. It only declares the company exists and a quality or two that they can serve you with

2. Creation reveals certain qualities about the Originator. This is a Being we call God.

C. According to Psalm 19, just by observing creation we can see God’s glory (the Person and Power of His Being, who He is)

1. Everyone is able to understand the declaration of the fine-tuned world we call earth.

a. David merely observed the sky and was overwhelmed with God’s glory

b. The heavens proclaim God all day/night. Creation is without words and is still silently understood in every part of the world.

2. David focuses on the beauty and power of the sun to show the glory of God

a. The sun is like a groom adorned for his wedding. It continues in its rising and setting cycle. The heat of the sun touches every part of the earth

b. (look up the intricacies of the sun’s working in apologetics books)

3. The only logical conclusion is that there is a Powerful Designer that we call God who made everything.

II. Knowing God through His Word (vs. 7-10)

A. Who is this God of creation?

1. The only way we can know Him personally is if He reveals Himself to us. This is where the importance of His Word comes into play

a. When speaking of the God of creation (vs. 1-6), David used the more general name for God El (the same name used in plural form back in Genesis 1)

b. Now, when speaking of the God of Word Revelation (vs. 7-10), David uses the proper/specific name of God that He gave to Israel, Yahweh (this is used 7 times)

2. So, the God of creation, the God worth worshiping and serving, is the God of the Bible

a. There is a lot of evidence that points to this being the case:

1. The historical accuracy of Scripture (places, people, and events)

2. The harmony of the Scriptures (consistency in its message even though it was written over 1,500 years, on 3 continents, in 3 languages, by more than 40 authors)

3.

B. The Bible is unique in its message and power

1. David describes God’s Word as…

a. Perfect, restorative, sure, wise, right, joyful, pure, enlightening, clean, produces fear of God, enduring forever, true, righteous, desirable, and sweet

b. How is the Bible such a masterpiece? Why is it of such high quality?

1. Because these are the words of God, they reveal the Person and Mind of God

2. Notice the different descriptions of the Word: the law of the Lord, the testimony of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the commandment of the Lord, the fear of the Lord, and the judgments of the Lord

3. The Bible is powerful because of the God who spoke them. These qualities belong to God and we learn God through His Divine Word Revelation

2. Part of our Bible reading should be with the focus of knowing God. Asking things like, “What does this tell me about God’s character?”, “What did God do in this passage?”, “What does God do for me?”, “What does God want me to do for Him?”

III. Knowing God Transforms Us (vs. 11-14)

A. When we know God through His Word it causes a transformation in us

1. We… are warned, receive great reward by obeying, find forgiveness for our sins, find protection/refuge from sin, develop blamelessness, innocent of transgressions.

2. These blessings become our reality because when we get to know God we are changed

a. You cannot stay the same when you meet and pursue God

b. Notice, when the words of God’s mouth are the meditation of our hearts (dwelling on God and His ways in our minds, vs. 14) then we are warned of sin, discover God’s avenues for overcoming temptation, find solace the revelation of His power, made innocent of past rebellion, and receive great reward

B. Why? The Word of God connects us to the God of the Word, our Rock and our Redeemer

1. John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

2. Choosing and pursuing God causes a change in us

a. We become His servant, leaving behind sin and shame, and get the reward of confidence and forgiveness

b. Now we can be protected by the power of God and guided by Him. All because we know Him through His Word

Conclusion

We see the creation around us and understand that God made it all. Romans 1:19–20 “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” All we have and all that we are belongs to God. We see His glory and power through creation, it provides us with a longing to know who this God is.

Now, we get to know God through His Son, Jesus. Hebrews 1:1–3 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Our purpose is to get to know God through His Son and His Son is revealed to us in His Word. Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Get to know the God of the world. Make Jesus the Lord of your life. Don’t stay the same when confronted with the life-changing message of Christ. Be transformed into the likeness of Jesus. He forgives sins and He is your protection. Make His Word the meditation of your heart and follow it. Make Jesus your Rock and your Redeemer.