School of Ministry 3/6/18

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How Do We Know God ??
The God of the Bible is one who reveals Himself to His creation. God creating man with mental and spiritual faculties indicates His intention that know Him, However since the fall of man , these mental and spiritual faculties have been dulled and he cannot of himself discover God. Thus God, in grace and love, has taken the initiative by giving a progressive revelation of Himself consummating in the Lord Jesus Christ. Man can only personally know God through Christ.
We can know God for one reason only: God has made himself known. If God had not chosen to do this, we could not have known him. That is, God is not accessible through our senses, our reason, our experience, or any other means apart from his willingness to be accessible. Our knowledge of God is absolutely dependent upon divine revelation; and not only is he willing to be known, he desires to be known.
We can know God for one reason only: God has made himself known. If God had not chosen to do this, we could not have known him. That is, God is not accessible through our senses, our reason, our experience, or any other means apart from his willingness to be accessible. Our knowledge of God is absolutely dependent upon divine revelation; and not only is he willing to be known, he desires to be known.
The term revelation comes from the Greek word apocalupsis (also the title of the New Testament’s last book), which means an “uncovering” or “revealing” of something that was previously unknown. The doctrine of revelation, then, means we can know God because he has chosen to make himself and his works known.
There are two kinds of divine revelation: General and Specific.
Matthew 11:27 ESV
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Matthew 16:17 ESV
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Matt 16:
1 Corinthians 2:10 ESV
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Amos 3:7 ESV
“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
1 Cor 2
1 Samuel 3:21 ESV
And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
1 Sam
General revelation refers to knowledge of God that is available to all people of all times and all places. Such knowledge comes in three ways.

general revelation comes through nature

General revelation comes through nature
Psalm 19:1 ESV
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Ps 19
Romans 1:20 ESV
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.
*Creation itself suggest that there is a creator. The existence of all intelligent design in nature precludes the existence of an intelligent designer. The design, beauty, law and order and numerical stamped upon all created things point to an intelligent being. above beyond and greater than all created things. This being is God
General revelation comes through our conscience
It is awareness of right and wrong , with a compulsion to do right.
Romans 1:19 ESV
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Romans 2:14 ESV
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.
Romans 2:15 ESV
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
General revelation comes through history
*There is a revelation of God seen in history of the nations of the world. The Mysterious rise and fall of nations indicates that somewhere behind the scenes is a sovereign hand, guiding governing controlling raising up and casting down the rulers of the nations.
De
Deuteronomy 32:8 ESV
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
Psalm 75:7 ESV
but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
Ps
Daniel 4:32 ESV
and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
Acts 17:26 ESV
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Romans 13:1 ESV
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Romans 1:20 ESV
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.
Special Revelation
General revelation is that which is available to all nations of the earth. All mankind has the general revelation of God in nature conscience and history .
Special Revelation refers to those acts of God whereby He revels Himself and His will to specific persons
The Revelation of God in Miracles
The Revelation of God in Prophecy
Genesis 3:15 ESV
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 12:1 ESV
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:2 ESV
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Genesis 12:3 ESV
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Micah 5:2 ESV
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Isaiah 7:14 ESV
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6 ESV
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The Revelation of Christ Himself
John 1:1 ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 ESV
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:18 ESV
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Colossians 1:15 ESV
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Hebrews 1:1 ESV
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
Hebrews 1:2 ESV
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.
Hebrews 1:3 ESV
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,
The Revelation of personal Experience
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