Knowing God

Intro: Celebrity Culture Or Political Figures

We Don’t Know Them we only know facts about them

Ephesians 1:15–23 “This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all…”

-Marks of Someone Who Knows God: Faith & Love (V15-16)

We Are The Object of Christ Love (He Loved Us First)

Christ is The Object of Our Faith (He Saved & Leads Us)

Saints are the Object of our Love (We Love & Lead Others To Christ)

Genuine Faith and Love Require us to Intimately Know God

We Cannot Place Faith In Someone We Don’t Know

We Cannot Love Like Christ If We Don’t First Know His Love

We Cannot Lead Others Closer To A Shepherd We Don’t Know

To Know God is the Goal of the Christian Life

We Can Know God When He Reveals Himself To Us

He "gives spirit of wisdom/revelation" (V17), "he illuminates/enlightens" (V18), "he worked to display his power" (V19)

Paul Prays that God would Reveal three things that help us to Know Him More:

The Calling Of The Church

The Value of The Church

The Power of The Church

The Calling of The Church (V18a)

To Know God is to Know His Calling for the Church

Hope Today:

Calling Of Christ Is To Be Something & Participate In God’s Plan of Salvation (Gospel)

Be Something Because of The Gospel:

We Are Chosen (His People)

We Are Adopted (His Children)

We Are Redeemed (Christ’s Body)

We Are Sealed (His Possession)

Participate In The Gospel:

Mission Of The Church: Discipleship

We Hear of His Love For Us & Believe In Him

We Grow Deeper In our:

Knowledge of Him

Affections For Him

Hope In Him

We Replicate His Love & Who We Are In Him

We Live As He Lived, Teach As He Taught, Forgive As He Forgave, Judge As He Judged, Pray As He Prayed, Minister As He Ministered, Care As He Cared, Disciple As He Discipled

Hope Tomorrow:

Calling Of Christ is To One Day Dwell Forever In Eternity

To Know Him Forever (Perfectly Loved By God & One Anther)

To Rest With Him Forever (No More Fear, No More Sin, No More Enemy)

To Glorify Him Forever ( Reflect Christ Image Perfectly)

The Value Of The Church (V18b)

To Know God Is to Know Who God Values

God Immensely Values His Church: We are His “Wealth & Glorious Inheritance”

We Bring Him Glory: As Redeemed BUT Imperfect People

“That God should set such a high value on the community of sinners rescued from perdition and still bearing too many traces of their former state, might well seem incredible were it not made clear that he sees them in Christ, as from the beginning, he chose them in Christ” -F. F. Bruce

He Created Us

Psalm 139:13–16 “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.”

He Chose Us

Ephesians 1:4–5 “For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”

Ephesians 2:4–5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!”

1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him.”

He Cares For Us

Luke 12:6–7 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”

He Sent His Son To Die For Us

Romans 5:8 “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 8:32 “He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?”

1 Peter 1:18–19 “For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.”

God Values The Invdividual Member of The Church

God Values The Corporate Body of The Church

God Values The Unbleiver Who Hears The gospel: DO YOU WANT TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST- TO Become part of the church is to know the power of the church.

The Power of The Church (V19-23)

To Know God Is To Know Christ

The Power of The Church is Immeasurable & Great: Beyond Compare & Above All Power Displayed By Mankind

Power Team Doesn’t compare to the Power of God

This Great Power exists in the Church because of Christ : He is the Power Of God Displayed For All of Mankind

Christ Was Raised (Resurrection)

Christ Is Exalted

He Is Seated Above All (No one Can Usurp His Throne)

He Is In Authority Of All (No one Can Defy His Rule)

Everything Will Bow

Philippians 2:9–11 “For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Evil, Sin, Death, Satan & His Demons wIll Bow

Nations & World Leaders, Governments both great & small will Bow

All of creation, chaos and calamity will bow

Sickness & Pain, Sorrow & Despair, Broken heartedness, Poverty & Anxiety, will bow

Christ Is United With His Church

He Completes Us (“Fullness”)

He Is The Word of The Church (Prophet)

He Is The Mediator of the Church (Priest)

He Is The Shepherd of the Church (King)

Invitation: Do You Know God?

To Know God Is To Know Christ: In Him God displayed His Power, Calling , & Love For Us

Knowing God means Believing:

That We Are Sinners In Need of Rescue

That He Is The Power Of God (Truly God, Savior, Shepherd)

That He Can Forgive Us & Transform Us

Big Question: Do You Know Jesus?