P1 - Four Important Revivals

Genesis 4:25-26 "Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord."

Four revivals

Today's post is about relaying four important revivals. In our sketch of the four revivals, we will glean important truths that you and I can apply in our understanding of God's movement among His people.

1. The first revival. Genesis 4:45-46

This revival is significant because it is the first recorded move of God in the history of the world. In a recent sermon I heard on revival, the Evangelist pointed out how all revivals are couched in the context of man's rebellion. The back story behind this move of God in Genesis 4 is that as a result of Cain's murder of Abel, Adam and Eve conceived a son and named him "Seth". The name "Seth" in the Hebrew language speaks of "one appointed or designated in the place of another". Clearly Eve's remarks of Seth being God's ordained replacement for her deceased son Abel bears out the meaning of the text. 

However the subsequent birth of Seth's son Enosh leads to this curious remark in Genesis 4:26 "Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord". In the Hebrew text, the word translated "began" is from a verbal root referring to the men being "caused" or "influenced" to call upon the name of the Lord. In other words, there was a powerful influence that was exerted upon the men of Seth's day that resulted in their being a wide spread move of God. We know from the testimony of scripture that only the Holy Spirit's movement upon the hearts of men can result in their free and unhindered pursuit of Him. Thus we learn the first anchoring point of revival from this first major revival: God's Sovereignty. 

2. The defining revival - 2 Chronicles 7:1-14

Genesis 4:25-26 is an important revival worth learning from because it was the first. In that move of God we see that unless God initiates revival, no revival will occur. However there is one text in the Bible that is used more often than any other to define revival - 2 Chronicles 7:1-14. I f we include the prior chapter of 2 Chronicles 6:40-42, we can see the following template for revival:

a. Prayerful waiting on God. 6:40-42

King Solomon and the priests had positioned themselves in humble waiting on God. The focus came not be on themselves or even upon the temple they were dedicating, but upon Yahweh. 

b. Powerful visitation from God. 7:1-3

The fire fell and God visited His people. Unless we come to regard God as V.I.P in our hearts, lives and churches, He will not move powerfully in our midst.

c. Particular focus upon the blood. 7:4-7

The seeming excess of Solomon's sacrifices were thank offerings. The primacy of the blood in this text points to the blood of Jesus which would be the end all of end all sacrifices. Jesus' death and resurrection fulfilled all that the Old Testament sacrifices pointed. To not include the cross in our idea of revival disarms the power to crucify self, the enemy of all moves of God. 

d. Praise and worship. 7:8-10

Certainly the fruit of revival ought to be increased worship and praise. Worship is declaring war on the kingdom of darkness and asserting the reality of Jesus as King of Kings, Lord victorious! The Kingdom of Solomon was visualized most supremely here, being that it was only made possible by God's delegated Kingdom authority working through Solomon and Israel. Likewise God's Kingdom is glimpsed in the church through those extraordinary seasons of revival.

e. Persistent humility. 7:11-14

The thunder and lightening of revival is maintained most consistently through humility and child-like dependance upon God. We aim not in revival to merely see the hand of God, but the face of our Father. As we focus upon the Son and lean upon the Spirit Whom He sent in the Son's name, the uncreated life of God Himself will intersect the life of the church. Jesus as God in human flesh exhibited this Divine trait of humility through His human portrayal of it. (see Philippians 2:1-11) Only when we are humbled before God will He move and raise up His church in due time. (James 4:8; 1 Peter 5:6) 

This second important revival sets the template for what God wants when it comes for the proper conditions and atmosphere for Him to move extraordinarily in the lives of His people. A fine definition of revival I heard from a preacher goes something like this: "A revival is a Divine infusion of Divine life into the church through the inflowing, outflowing and overflowing of the Holy Ghost." 

More tomorrow.....

A surface level view of spiritual warfare

Acts 28:21-22 They said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you.22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”

Ephesians 6:11-12  "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Introduction:

In the two opening verses of today's post, the closing of the book of Acts views Paul's situation as it is in the visible, surface-level realm. Paul is under house arrest in Rome. Having appeared before Caesar, Paul would finish out his two-year period of time attached to a Roman soldier as he shared the Gospel to whomever would give him a hearing. The second passage from Ephesians 6 was written to the church at Ephesus during Paul's house arrest in Rome. Whereas Acts 28:21-31 gives the reader a look at spiritual warfare on the surface, Ephesians 6:11-20 takes the reader below the surface and reveals what all takes place in the spiritual realm. 

Both passages taken together give the reader a full view of what all takes place in the Christian's engagement with the kingdom of darkness. Today's post will be looking at Acts 28:21-31 to better understand how we can discern whenever we are dealing with spiritual warfare on the surface of things. What characterizes spiritual warfare in the visible realm of everyday life, and what indicates we have reached a point of victory? To answer these questions, we will consider Acts 28:21-31 in short order:

1. Opposition.  Acts 28:21-22

Acts 28:22 states - "But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.” It should not shock Christians to discover that the world is opposed to Jesus Christ and the scriptures. Whenever we get out of a civilian mentality of personal peace and affluency and into a soldier mode of fighting the good fight of faith, such realities are regarded as par for the course. The opponents of the Apostles and the early church referred to them as quite literally a "heresy". Furthermore, the phrase translated "spoken against everywhere" could just as easily be rendered "refused in all directions". Opposition that we see in the culture against the Bible and Jesus Christ ought to tell us that we are dealing with spiritual warfare. But notice a second surface level characteristic...

2. Unbelief. Acts 28:23-24

As the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed over time, a polarization develops among people who are listening. The Spirit of God will move upon the hearts of listeners to believe and be saved. For others who choose to persist in the opposition, they remain unpersuaded. The idea of the verb translated "would not believe" is a pretty good rendering by the NASB. Willful, ongoing refusal to heed the Gospel is the result of the efforts of Satan and his counter-kingdom in blinding the minds of unbelievers to the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:4-6) Whenever we see persistent unbelief, we must not quit proclaiming the Gospel nor praying. Our weaponry is not of the flesh nor of man but of God. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) So we can say that on the surface, opposition and unbelief characterize the surface level spiritual warfare that we see in the culture. However there are two other traits that we find in the church-world...

3. Disharmony. Acts 28:25

Acts 28:25a reads - "And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word....".  The underlined word translated "did not agree" is an interesting word in the original language that could literally be rendered "out of harmony". Certainly these folks in Acts 28 were Jews, however the phenomena of disharmony is recognizable and identified in the church as well. Have you ever been part of a church that is out of harmony? What is the cause of disharmony in the local church? First of all the fleshly, selfishness of believers who are carnally minded (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; James 4:1-4) and then Satan, the accuser of the brethren (Zechariah 3; Revelation 12:10). Whenever God is moving among the people of God, be ready for the kingdom of darkness to stir up an anti-revival. But notice another trait of surface-level spiritual warfare in addition to opposition, unbelief and disharmony....

4. Spiritual blindness. Acts 28:26-29

Sadly this trait is seen as much in churches than in the world. Whenever Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 in Acts 28:26-28, he is quoting a passage that is an indictment against the people of God. Notice the characteristics of spiritual blindness: lack of discernment,perception (28:26); dullness, inability to hear the message, inability to take in God's word to the heart, ineffectiveness of application (28:27). If the church body has corporately grieved the Holy Spirit, that church begins to operate under a closed heaven. Unless the church repents and mends her ways, the kingdom of darkness will continue to retain success. All the preaching and singing in the world will be to those who are spiritually blind a waste of time. 

The mark of victory in spiritual warfare on the surface

So thus far we have considered the four traits of surface level warfare: opposition, unbelief, disharmony and spiritual blindness. But now what indicates we have began to gain a victory for God in a church or community. The closing verses of Acts 28:30-31 tells us: "And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered." Now notice what I did not say in this final point. I did not say that the warfare had ceased. If you read the parallel passage of Ephesians 6:11-120 you will find out that the warfare won't end until Jesus comes. Nor did I say that the enemy won't try another angle. 

Rather the tide of the battle changes as God's Word gets planted in the hearts and minds of God's people. When the Kingdom of God is manifested, the Word has no hindrance. I have been at places where this has happened. There is no need to beg people to come to church nor is there any need to beg people to go out and share the Gospel. The people are getting it and they're taking it and running it to where it needs to go. 

Our problem so often is that we quit before the battle changes course. For those Christians and churches who keep-on-keeping on, the victory side of spiritual warfare can at times verge on the miraculous. Still even then, the battle cry for the church on this side of eternity is to keep on fighting the good fight of faith. 

Worship is war

Joshua 6:1-5 "Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. 2 The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. 4 Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.”

Let me begin today's post with one phrase: "worship is war". When we think of expressions of worship as portrayed in the Bible, the two methods of worship prescribed in the Bible are worshipping God with song and worshipping God through the Word. Too often when we come to sing the songs of praise or gather together to hear the Bible preached, we come more so as civilians rather than soldiers. 

Life and death are at stake in worship. The kingdom of darkness is our foe, stirring the flesh, the human ego and over preoccupation with personalities to suppress the supernatural surge of worship from instruments and preachers alike.

In our church world today you will hear the phrase "worship war" thrown around to refer to disagreements over styles of music. Such superficial nonsense is a symptom of the real problem - the tireless efforts of the enemy to get the church's eyes off of King Jesus. 

Worship is war. In Joshua 6 the famous battle of Jericho is being waged. This stronghold of the enemy needed routed by God's people to secure them in the land of promise. Unless they did it God's way, victory would elude them. 

When you look at God's battle strategy, what did He prescribe? Not soldiers out front, nor the mightiest generals, but rather the priests and blowing of trumpets. These were trumpets of war used in a triumphal procession of worship.

For a whole week the people of God did a "Jericho March" once around each day.  On the final day they encircled the mighty Jericho seven times - corresponding to God's perfect number. When the signal was given and the trumpets were blown, God's power was unleashed and the walls came tumbling down. The stronghold of the enemy was razed and the people of God were further along in their pursuit of God's will.

Worship is war. In 1 Samuel 16 King Saul had been besieged by a demonic spirit. Anger, rage and confusion filled King Saul's heart. However a young lad was summoned into King Saul's presence by the name of David. 1 Samuel 16:22-23 states: "Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him." Was it the harp that broke the yoke of bondage in Saul's life? The skill of David in the utility of his fingers? The melodious sounds that filled the air? As certain as those elements were present, they were not the cause of Saul's deliverance. Rather the Spirit of God attended the harp strings that were plucked and the sure fingers of David the mighty Psalmist. 2 Samuel 23:1-2 records David's later testimony: "Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel, 2 “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue." 

The anointing power of God, which is the Spirit's extraordinary empowerment and illumination of His people for service, was at work through David's ministry. Isaiah 10:27 reminds us: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."

Worship is war. In 2 Kings 3 we have the scene of a group of kings needing a word from God. Would they experience victory or defeat? Elisha was the man of God who was requested to seek the Lord and to deliver a Word on their behalf. As Elisha was preparing to speak, we pick up the account in 2 Kings 3:14-15 "Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15 But now bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him." Notice how the ministry of song and the word are hitched together like a team of horses. God's power came upon Elisha and that unnamed musician. The Word came and victory followed. 

Worship is war. Whenever the Spirit of God anoints a preacher and music in a service, the war is being waged against the flesh. The preacher is fighting the fleshly drives of fear and self-approval, as well as the spiritual forces blinding the minds of unbelievers and afflicting God's people with confusion and doubt. The musician is fighting his own fleshly battles as well and the war on him is just as fierce. His heart is about the substance of the praise or worship song. 

The New Testament twice commands us to: "...with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16) When we come together to hear the Word and sing about it, King Jesus Himself is there with us by the Holy Spirit, singing and testifying before the throne about His people. (Hebrews 2:11-14)  Every Sunday is a war. The battle ground is people's hearts. The aim is to dislodge the rebel flag of unbelief and to plant a flag in the ground of the human heart by the Spirit of God that says: "Jesus reigns". 

Worship is war. As we close out today's post, I hope you can see why worship involves the declaration of King Jesus' glory and victory by His Spirit-called and empowered worshippers. May we go into worship as soldiers seeking audience with the General of our Faith. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the blood of the Lamb and the Word of testimony we shall overcome.

What to know about God from Psalm 139

Psalm 139:1-5 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.

What kind of God God is

Today's post features one of the most magnificent Psalms in the Book of Psalms - Psalm 139. This Psalm in and of itself presents the major characteristics of God's very essence and being. Today's post is not about presenting a bunch of information. Rather the goal is to show the reader from this Psalm what kind of God God is and to demonstrate what there is to know about God from this Psalm, so as to affect transformation

1. God is One Lord that knows everything. Psalm 139:1-6

God's ability to know all things is referred to by Bible teachers as His "omni-science". The most wonderful thing about getting to know God is to find out that He knows me, through and through. Before I was every born, God knew about me in His mind. Every person born into this world in a general sense is shown in scripture to have had a particular ordained time of birth and time of death. (Psalm 90; Hebrews 9:27) In a specific sense, God in His mind knew before hand every believer and saw them as already complete in Christ. (Ephesians 1:1-4;Romans 8:29-31) Having in His imniscience seen every child of God in Christ in eternity, God decided to love them on the basis of His own decision to love them! (Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Ephesians 1:4-5) As the Psalmist says, there is more about God's knowledge that we do not comprehend than we do comprehend. (compare Romans 11:33-36). However, Biblical teachings on such truths reminds us to "let God be God" and "to keep silent on those areas wherein He does not speak" and "to worship Him Who knows all things."

2. God is everywhere. Psalm 139:7-12

God is without a doubt One God. Here in Psalm 139:7-12 we are given insight into the fact that God in regards to identity is not just One Person but Three Persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). In other words, God is "One what and three who's). The Person called here in Psalm 139 "God" (the New Testament uniformly refers to this First Person as "The Father") is distinct from a Personage called in Psalm 139:7 "Your Spirit".  The truth of God's plural identity is likened unto a faint outline in the Old Testament and presented in full vivid color in the New Testament. 

Why bring up the Trinity? because God's ability to be everywhere present (i.e omni-present) requires the teaching of the Trinity to ensure we don't mix up the distinction the Bible holds between the Creator and His creation. The Father in Heaven is able to affect everything everywhere because He is sharing the same infinite nature with the Spirit Who represents His presence both in Heaven and on earth. 

3. God is all powerful. Psalm 139:13-16

In the nature of the consistent portrait of God revealed in the Bible, we find that in talking about the plurality of His identity, we once again are brought back to the oneness of His being. All the pronouns for "you" in these verses are singular, demonstrating that the Psalmist here is talking about One God. This One God is all powerful (also called "Omni-potent"). God in His omni-potence has the ability to penetrate time, space and to orchestrate all things. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit share this ability equally and without division.

4. God is all good. Psalm 139:17-22

The Psalmist then says in Psalm 139:17 "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!How vast is the sum of them!" Here we see the All-goodness of God. Theologians call this God's omni-benevolence. God is the fountain of all goods that we see in creation. To know that God has good intentions towards His creation carries a tone of sadness, since the realm of men spurn what is otherwise God's goodness. 

The Psalmist then makes this curious statement in Psalm 139:21-22 "Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies." What is meant by the idea of God hating? Why would the Psalmist express himself as "loathing those who rise up against you"? This truth, called God's perfect hatred, describes God's opposition in wrath against what sinners become in their sin, the hurt that is brought about and the attitude expressed in their rebellion against Him. God's hatred is not tinged with a vengeful, manaical bent like human expressions of hatred. 

The closest parallel I can think of to illustrate "perfect hatred" is of how a mother responds to a criminal trying to hurt their child. The mother responds in a form of "perfect hatred" directed at the crime being attempted and the criminal's lack of remorse. We hate what criminals have become and what they do. Such expressions of wrath are right and provide the foundation for retributive justice in our law and criminal justice system. All such expressions are based upon God's justice and wrath against sin, which alone is completely just and completely pure. 

Only God can perfectly distinguish between the person and the act, hating "what they are" while still holding out His redemptive purposes to the person themselves. God's goodness does not cancel out His justice, holiness and wrath against sin. If anything, such attributes highlight the fact that God is a good God. 

5. God is all wise. Psalm 139:23-24

Theologian Charles Hodge defines God wisdom as: "Assigning of proper ends and means to meet such ends". God's dealings with us, situations and time is different from our approach. We deal with things from beginning to end, whereas God deals by working back from things as being completed back to their beginning. God's all-wisdom (also called "omni-sapience") includes the free decisions of creatures, both good and bad, circumstances and history itself. If God were not the all-wise God, then all the other attributes we have discussed in today's post would not be able to function in such perfect harmony as they do in God. 

Closing thoughts:

Psalm 139 gives us one of the finest and most perfect summaries there is about God. Though we can never comprehend God, we can know Him. This is what we can know about God from Psalm 139: All knowing, Everywhere present, All powerful, All good and all wise. 

Praying with power

Romans 8:26-27 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Introduction:

Today's post is all about praying with power. When we think about how God manifest His power in worship services, preaching or the daily Christian life, we think in terms of man's concepts of power. So often we are advised to center our activites around "felt-needs" or "marketing". We are told that such techniques will bring more "pull" and influence over our culture in the churches. Further counsel suggests that for the daily Christian life, making oneself happy is to be the priority for having a more fulfilled Christianity. 

As I am sure many readers have witnessed - such techniques utterly fail. Why? Because what constitutes powerful Christianity and church-life operates in the powerful prayer lives of Christians who walk with God. Our own sense of self-importance has resulted in a bloated American church that looks more like the culture and less like a counter-culture centered around the belief in the Risen Christ and the manifestation of the Kingdom of God in the Word of God and transformed lives. 

Romans 8:21-28 gives the list of ingredients necessary for having a powerful and effective prayer life. As one writer once put it: "a man (and for that matter a woman) of God can never exceed in their public life the level to which they are with God in their private life." If we can take note of the principles Paul lays out here for praying with power, then we will have the Christian lives and churches that are also marked with the Spirit's power and enduement.

1. Pray with expectation. Romans 8:21-25 

Romans 8:21-25 states: "that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.22 For we know that the whole creationgroans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 Forin hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it." Notice the underlined words in the text: "waiting eagerly" and "hope". Do we expect God to genuinely work when we pray? Are we expecting Him to act on our behalf. The tone of the Christian world and personal Christian living is often powerless due to the fact we don't believe God is powerful. We have tamed God and domesticated Him to operating on the same plane as we do. If God is powerful enough (and He is) to bring to a resolution the sin and decay of this creation through the redemptive efforts of His Son, surely he can act effectively on your behalf and mine. So to pray with power, we must pray with expectation, meaning we know God is able to do whatsoever His will in His Word says he can and will do. But notice a second necessary element...

Pray with weakness. Romans 8:26 

Romans 8:26 states - "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." If there is one thing missing in our church world and Christianity as a whole in America it is the sense of dependency on God. We like to come off like we have it all together. Showing of strength, human ingenuity, professionalism, cleverness, no problems, personality and the like make for appealing to the crowds and attracting more people. However, does such an envoronment foster the type of atmosphere wherein the Spirit of God will show up in supernatural power? 

Consider again what we learn in prayer, and apply it in your Christian life or the church world: "His power is made perfect in weakness". Admitting that I don't have the answers. Acknowledging to God we need help with this or that. Coming to our heavenly father as a little wee child comes to their daddy with upheld arms, moistened eyes and quicvering voice saying: Daddy, please help me! Would any decent father reject such a plea? Hardly! How much more our Heavenly Father will grant the co-equal, co-eternal Spirit in powerful aid to those crying out in prayer. Our strength lies in our weakness, a message so alien to our culture. Nonetheless this is what is called for in praying with power, namely praying in our weakness and dependance upon God. We need also to pray with expectation. But notice the last ingredient for praying with power...

Praying with faith in God. Romans 8:27-28

Romans 8:27-28 "and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." In prayer the mind and the human spirit are linked together. The mind that has taken in the words of God from the Bible knows the will of God. The human spirit that is home to the Holy Spirit of God knows the will of God intuitively. Faith by its very defintion in Hebrews 11:1 is the substance of things hoped for and the certainty of things not yet seen. 

Fear says: "Maybe". Faith says: "He can". Fear says: "I'm not sure". Faith says: "I know He will". Prayer crosses over that invisible boundary between human half-hearted prayers vs Spirit-wrought powerful intercession by what we can call "certainty" and "knowing that we know that we know". Romans 8:28 is an everest in the Christian's prayer life. You can take that one verse and pull it over every area of your Christian life and whatever is lacking in our local churches. Praying with power will lead to living with power, worshipping with power and preaching with power. 

We need the power and Person of God in our lives. May we pray with expectation, weakness and faith. Those are the ingredients for praying in power. 

Knowing God is the heart of the Gospel

John 17:3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Introduction:

What is the goal and heart of the Gospel - the Goodnews of Jesus Christ? In the opening verse above the answer is made plain: to know God. Pastor John Piper wrote a book a number of years ago entitled: "God is the Gospel". On the back of the DVD study based upon the book, we find the following statement: "Some people say forgiveness makes the Gospel good news. Others suggest that being saved from hell or gaining freedom from a guilt conscience makes it good news. But the Bible tells us the Gospel is good news not because of its many peripheral blessings, but because it brings us to God - and to utter delight in Him as our all-sufficient and everlasting treasure." 

John 17:3 is the clearest definition we have in the Bible of what it means to have eternal life. John 3:16 is often quoted as the simplest definition of salvation: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Knowing God as the core definition of what it means to have biblical salvation will be the focus of today's post. Below are some other passages that aid in fleshing out this truth. 

Knowing God is the heart of the Gospel because unbelievers are defined as not knowing God
The ultimate bad news that the Gospel first brings to us is that we are born into this world alienated from God - and thus do not know Him. Ephesians 2:12-13 explains: "remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:4 explains it this way: " in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." The unbeliever outside of Jesus Christ knows about God according to Romans 1:21-23, but without saving faith, possess a non-saving knowledge about Him.

Knowing God is at the heart of the Gospel because it defines what it means to experience salvation
The change that occurs at salvation is explained as me going from knowing about God to knowing God and being known by God. Jeremiah 31:33-34 predicts what would be the current new birth miracle of regeneration in the human soul that works itself out in saving faith:  “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” When we come to the New Testament, salvation is described in terms of being brought to a point of knowing the true God: 1 John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."

Knowing God is the heart of the Gospel because only at the cross by faith do we know God
To say that the heart of the Gospel is equal to knowing God does not mean some generic concept of God. God is not an idea to be studied nor a formula, but a Living reality involving Three Persons in unending movement in and through One another. At the cross, we see the Second of those persons, Jesus the Son, dying in His humanity for the sins of mankind, especially those who are His from the Father by faith. (1 Timothy 4:10) If we try to know God by reason only, or by religious law keeping, we will be in the dark so-to-speak regarding who God is. Hebrews 12:18-21 notes - "For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” So how do we gain access to God? The only place where He will meet and gain access to us: the cross. Notice Hebrews 12:22-24 "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel."

Closing thoughts
Today we looked briefly as to why the Gospel can be defined as being brought to the point of knowing God. We noted that unbelievers by definition do not know God. Thus salvation is defined as the point and time we are brought to a true knowledge of God, and that being at the cross. May we who know God make Him known to those who do not know Him. 

Four senses of knowing God

Jeremiah 9:23-24 "Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord."

Introduction:

I will never forget the first time I was introduced to the most wonderful human being this side of eternity - known then as Deb Gray. We had a mutual friend who had been attempting to formally introduce us to one another. At the Bible College we attended, I had heard about Deb and had seen her on the campus, but I did not know her. After our friend had shared with me some additional information, I had to write her name down as my friend was bringing me to meet Deb. Soon after sitting down beside her, she and I began to talk to one another. To make a long story short - Deb and I started dating a few days later. We were engaged in six months and got married over a year after the engagement and after my graduation. I had known about Deb and got to know her more and more as we spent time in our courtship. After we got married and she became Deborah Emily Smith, I made it a point to get to know my wife, and she shared this same goal with me. For 18 years our adventure in knowing one another has only blossomed our love for one another. If such a focal point describes what marriage should be all about, then what or Who is the One that we should know Who explains the whole point of life and salvation? God of course! 

J.I Packer in his classic book: "Knowing God" begins with this statement on page 29: "What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the Eternal life that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. 'This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent' (John 17:3). What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment, than anything else? Knowledge of God." 

Four senses of what it means to know God

To one extent, it is accurate to say that everyone knows something about God, however, the scripture makes it plain that only believers in Jesus Christ can truly know God. The following four senses of knowing God are spelled out by scripture to explain how people know God to one degree or another.

1. Knowing about God in a general way  Creation

Psalm 19:1 states - "The heavens are telling of the glory of God;And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." Everyone born into this world has the knowledge about God hardwired into their consciences, their minds and their hearts. Even the most hardened Atheist may claim to believe there is no God, however they cannot explain why they have compassion for another human being or why they believe it is wrong to murder within their worldview. Romans 1:21 gives this indictment: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." 

Everyone knows about God and everyone knows there is a God. This general knowledge is what we call "general revelation" and is accessible and innate in all people: believer and unbeliever alike. To know about God does not equate to a saving knowledge of God, but rather shows that all people are accountable to God. God Himself imprinted information about Himself in the laws governing the universe and in the very fabric of life itself. 

2. Knowing God in a specific way - The Bible

It's one thing to know about generally in general revelation, however how do we gain specific and accurate knowledge of God? God has chosen to not only reveal knowledge about Himself in creation, but specific details about Himself in One book: The Bible. Being that God has chosen to reveal Himself specifically in a Book, Christian thinkers refer to this form of revelation as "special revelation".  

Psalm 119:134-135 states: "Redeem me from the oppression of man,That I may keep Your precepts. 135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes." Jesus Himself, being Immanuel, God with us, God in human flesh, said these words in Luke 24:44 - "Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 

It is by the Bible we come to know the God of the book and in knowing the God of the book we most clearly understand the Bible. God in the Person of the Holy Spirit co-authored the Bible with 40 other human authors. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21) To know the Holy Spirit personally is tantamount to and equated with studying, memorizing and meditating upon the Bible, being that He through it illumines the Christian's understanding to the things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)  We come to know God in the Bible, however unless saving faith is united with the testimony of God's special revelation, we only possess head knowledge about God and are even more accountable to Him. 

3. Knowing God in a full way - Jesus Christ
To know God in a general way by the general revelation of creation and the conscience results in knowing about God but not necessarily knowing God. To know God specifically entails going to the one Book He has moved upon men in Divine inspiration to write that reveals specific things about Him. The Bible as God's written revelation about Himself is His "specific", His  "special revelation". 

Now what is it that the Bible is specifically revealing? The what is expressed in terms of the language of "promise" in the Old Testament and in the Person of Jesus Christ in the new Testament. Hebrews 1:1-3 explains: "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, andupholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." When Jesus was on this earth He said to His disciples in John 14:6-8 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 

Jesus as God in human flesh is the full and complete revelation of the invisible Father. Together with the written word of God - the Bible, Jesus and the scriptures present a "stereo view of God" in both high definition sound and video. To separate Jesus Christ from the Bible and vice-versa is like listening to a video without sound or trying to make out what is being seen in a video with only the audio. Many people in Jesus' days on this earth saw His miracles and even on the surface expressed admiration about Him. 

However, like with God's special revelation the Bible, unless faith is tied to Jesus' full revelation, there is only head knowledge about Him but no saving knowledge. 

4. Knowing God personally - by faith
We have seen that to know God can be defined one of three ways: knowing about Him in creation, knowing Him specifically in the Bible and knowing Him fully in Jesus Christ. These first three methods of God's Divine revelation are outside and irrespective of us. However the Bible makes it plain that unless there is saving faith present to personally connect to Jesus Christ in the Word, there can be  no personal knowledge of God. Faith is a gift given by God to fully persuade sinners to embrace Jesus Christ as revealed in the Word. When a sinner trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, salvation is the result. (Romans 10:8-10) 

To experience salvation by grace through faith is described as "knowing God". John 17:3 records Jesus saying: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Furthermore, to know God personally is at the heart of ongoing growth in santifying faith following salvation. The language of "father-to-child" is used to explain this point in scripture. For example, Galatians 4:9  "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to beknown by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?" Romans 8:14-16 "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God."

Closing Thoughts:
We saw in brief today the four senses of knowing God. We know about God generally in the general revelation of creation and the conscience. We then discover that God was revealed speicifically in the Bible. Thirdly, Jesus Christ fully reveals God in regards to His person and glory. Then the fourth sense of knowing God is the most Personal, Faith. Faith grabs hold of and receives the truth revealed in the other three senses. May you and I make it our goal as believers to know God, as a spouse who makes it their goal to know their spouse.