Mulling on the Eternal - Thoughts to Edify: Bible Study

These are the notes for the series on Knowing God part 2.
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1. Don't Know/Don't Want to Know God…

a. Destroyed for lack of it
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (NKJV)
If your life is in trouble today, you need to know God. If you are in danger of being destroyed, you need to know God.

b. No Power
Acts 19:13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (NKJV)

Doctrines don’t save us. Knowledge of Jesus does
1 John 2:14 (second part) I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. (NKJV)

2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (NKJV)
Don't know God, don’t love Him, having a form of Godliness, but denying its power.

c. Sin and Debasement
Romans 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. (NKJV)
This is so prevalent today. We in the church have to be careful.

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; (NKJV)

Genesis 6: 1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. (NIV)
Homosexuality and all forms of such perversions FROM DEBASED MINDS and are a result of not wanting to know God.

Genesis 19:4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” 6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.” (NKJV)
Many by the time of Abraham were pagans, which is why God asked him to leave his family.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (NKJV)
Sin results from not having the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

2. Wrong Knowledge of God

a. “Prodigal son”
Luke 15:11-31
Younger son – thought life was better without the Father, then thought the Father would not accept him.
Older son – thought he needed to gain the Father’s acceptance through his hard work

b. Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. (NKJV)

Three things characterize this man:
“‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.”
1. He had a wrong impression of God. He thought that God was a hard taskmaster, unfair and asking him to do things that were unreasonable in his reckoning.
“Look, there you have what is yours”
2. He felt that as long as he took nothing out, he was entitled to no punishment. Like some people today who want to have nothing to do with God. They feel that they don’t do big sins, lead a normal life and so shouldn’t be held accountable.
“you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.”
3. He was lazy. He could have done something as simple as to put the money in the bank to earn interest, but he thought it too much work for him to do.
28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. (NKJV)
Kingdom principle – press in and you will have disproportionately more. It takes our choice to press in and press on everyday to know Him more. Once we taste and see that He is good, it gets easier and we grow even more faster.

3. Know God Through The Word

a. Jesus is the Word
John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NKJV)
Jesus is the manifestation of all that is in the Bible.

1 John 1: 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— (NKJV)
When we know the Word, know the Truth, we are coming into the knowledge of Jesus.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)
Know Jesus, Know the Way, Know the Truth, Know the Life

2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
Jesus - light of the knowledge of the glory of God. To understand the splendour of the goodness of God toward us, come to know Jesus and what He has accomplished on the cross.

Colossians 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (NKJV)
All treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge are hidden in knowing the mystery of God.

3. Know God - Break Strongholds

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (NKJV)
No knowledge = no casting down = no thought obedience.

2 Corinthians 10:4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. (NLT)
Our fight is not to change the physical realm. Not carnal, but mighty in God. Pulls down STRONGHOLDS by casting down human reasoning and false ideas.

The real enemy is made up of thought patterns that we have in our heads, programmed by this fallen world or the devil.

Examples of human reasoning/false ideas:

Darwin’s theory
Abortion
Homosexuality – “I was born that way”
Transgender issues – “I was born in the wrong body”
Legitimate reasons for why I wasn't nice to the driver that cut me off
A thousand reasons why certain things I am supposed to do I am not doing
Justification for anger towards someone else
“I feel condemned/useless”, “Life is meaningless”
“You don’t understand, I was [your reason here]”

Mark 7:20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (NKJV)
What is in your heart will come out of your mouth.

Matthew 12:34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (NKJV)
What’s been on your mind? That’s why David says:

Psalm 1: 1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (NKJV)
If our minds are stayed on God’s Word, we will start to know Him and His thoughts. We start to know His goodness.

Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (NKJV)
When we start to know His goodness, we change our minds (repent). Strongholds are broken this way.

Romans 12: 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)
Allow the Word of God, the knowledge of who God is to you, to change your mind. That is casting down every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV)
ABIDE in the Word to know the Truth (Jesus) to be set free. Only truth we know can set us free.
As we come to know God and what He has done for us, the different aspects of His love for us, that we know the truths in these areas and they can set us free. Truths we don’t know sit in the Bible.

Paul’s Prayer - Ephesians 1: 15-21

4. The Take-Away