Knowing Him

SERMON TITLE: Knowing Him (2011)

SUB TOPIC: Relationship vs. Religion

 Sermon Text: John 5: 39

39. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Introduction: 

                Knowing Him! Do you know Him? It’s imperative that you know Him, for there’s no life without Him. Without Him there’s no peace, joy, prosperity, health, wealth, salvation, abundant life, nor eternal life. Jesus said, “if you believe that he is sent, then you must believe in Him that sent me” (him). (John 12: 44) Who is Him? I’m glad you asked. Him is our heavenly father, the creator and sustainer of life; the God of all creation. The God of all that is and is not, the God of the universe, for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness there of, and they that dwell therein. (I. Corinth. 10:26) If one believes in God, then one must also believe in Jesus, or if you believe in Jesus, you must also believe in God! This may seem trivial, but I believe there are some that struggle with this. Some people want to think that they are special, and it was necessary for Jesus to die just to save them. But on the other hand their theology is severely challenged when trying to conceive an eternal being that created them and everything that is. Well you can’t have it both ways, either you believe or you don’t. Jesus set the record straight, if you believe in him you must believe in God!

                Why did God make or create man? Have you ever asked yourself that? Go ahead ask yourself (its okay) even God asked himself why he created man, in fact scripture says that it repented God for making man. (Genesis 6:6) God was grieved and disappointed that things didn’t go according to his plans or purpose. God’s purpose for creating man was for relationship, and communion. God desires a relationship with man; that he might reciprocate the love, and worship God in the beauty of holiness; for truly God is worthy of all our praise and worship. God seeks to have communion with man, meaning God seeks to know man (us). God seeks conversation with man. He wants to know our desires, wants, concerns, goals, aspirations, feelings and emotions. These are the affairs of the soul, the hearts mind; God is concerned for our souls. God already knows what we need. (Soul salvation) The bible says to work out your soul salvation in fear and trembling. (Philip. 2:12) So how do we commune with God? I’m glad you asked, we commune with God through prayer. Prayer is having a conversation with God, since we know we can’t talk to him face to face, like we do one with another, or as he spoke with Adam in the garden. (Gen.3:8) Are you in communion with and talking to God? Are you in relationship with God? Or, are you in religion or religious. Religion has to do with your activity, what you do according to your belief and the will of God for your life. A simple definition of religion is whatever you believe. Whatever you believe is your religion. What one does, defines what one believes. Therefore, ones religion can be with or without God and, also with or without his will. Here in (Gen. 3:8), we find the first evidence of religion.

 In this New Year we need to make sure we’re in Relationship and communion with God and not in Religion. I’ve developed code- 2011 to remind me that (2) two stands for relationship; you’ve heard the saying it takes two to tango? That’s me and God, and (o) zero stands for starting all over again, a fresh start, a clean slate, and a new start. I’ve made the commitment to read the entire bible in one year (11) stands for one on one daily communion with God in word and prayer.

The Historical Setting of Our Text Today is:

                In our historical setting of the text Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. Jesus saw him, and knew his case, he saith unto him Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while coming another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, “Rise take up thy bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath.

                It was against Jewish law to do any servile work on the Sabbath. When the Jews saw the man carrying his bed they asked was it lawful for him to do so. The man answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me take up thy bed, and walk. The man told the Jews that it was Jesus which made him whole. Therefore, did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Let’s Take A Look At Our Text (exegesis):

                We are to search the scriptures for knowledge, wisdom, understanding, enlightenment, and revelation. The bible says out of all your getting be sure to get an understanding. It also says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and also knowledge. The bible says to, study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (II. Tim. 2:15) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Josh. 1:8) What Jesus wants us to know right now is that after searching the scriptures and attaining and receiving all this, you still don’t have eternal life. You are still lacking one thing, Him!  You need Jesus! Jesus wants you to know that eternal life is not in the scriptures, it’s in Him! You need to receive Him as your personal Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. Life is in Jesus! Even before you can get to Him God the Father, You have to go through Him God the son, Jesus! Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Let Us Transition to The Present (Here and Now):  

   Christianity is an intimate, growing relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Not performance driven activity seeking the approval of men; which is self-centered, self-focused religion. It is not a set of doctrines to believe, habits to practice, or sins to avoid. Every activity God commands is intended to enhance His love relationship with His people.

    God designed worship for us to see Him in his glory and to respond appropriately; for many it has degenerated into “religion,” one more meeting to attend out of habit. God established the sacrificial system so that we, His people, could express our love to Him; but we often diminish our gifts to our Lord into futile attempts to appease Him and to pacify our guilty conscience. God gave us prayer so we could have conversation with him, but we often distort this by “saying prayer” and hurrying off without ever listening to what is on our Father’s heart. God instituted His commandments as a protection for those He loves, but the commandments can become a pathway to legalism rather than an avenue for a relationship with our Father in which He protects us from harm.

Religious activity apart from fellowship with God is empty ritual. We must not become content with ritual and tradition and be satisfied without the manifest presence of God. We must not become so comfortable with “religion” that we fail to notice when God is absent.  It is possible to pray, to attend a worship service, or to give an offering yet not to experience the presence of God. Don’t settle for a religious life that lacks a vital relationship with Jesus Christ.     

 Point # 1: We need to know Him:

Phil. 3: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

John 17: 3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

John 5: 39   Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Point #2: We must believe in Him that sent Him:

John 12: 44  Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.

John 5: 24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 6: 40  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Point #3: God desires relationship and communion with man: 

Gen 3: 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.