Series: Meeting with God
Category: Core Seminars, Devotional Life, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Sanctification & Growth, Jesus Christ, Work of Christ
Summary:
This week’s class will be aimed at addressing these two assertions in order to show why they are more than inferences. They are assertions, and hopefully we will see that they are realities upon which we should build our lives. After that, we will give an overview of what the rest of the class will look like; where we’re going and what we will cover. All of that put together is what gives this lesson its subtitle, “What, Why and How of Meeting with God.”
Detail:
Good morning and welcome to the Meeting with God core seminar. This class is the part of the “basics” core seminar track, which is designed to help ground us in the foundational disciplines of the Christian life. The goal of the Meeting with God core seminar is to give you a Biblical understanding of why we should meet with God on a daily basis and to equip you with practical tools that I hope will help you do just that.
Just from looking at the title of this class—Meeting with God —we can infer at least two things:
That it is possible to meet with God.
That meeting with God is something that we should do.
This week’s class will be aimed at addressing these two assertions in order to show why they are more than inferences. They are assertions, and hopefully we will see that they are realities upon which we should build our lives. After that, we will give an overview of what the rest of the class will look like; where we’re going and what we will cover. All of that put together is what gives this lesson its subtitle, “What, Why and How of Meeting with God.”
And so we begin.
The What: We can meet with God
The first big assertion is that we can actually, really meet with God. Meeting with someone or something is an act of encountering. It is being introduced to someone. And even though our Heavenly Father, God, is not a human, we understand and believe that God is a real person. And He is knowable.
We would not be here today in this class, if we did not really believe that it was possible to meet with God, to actually know Him. But since you’ve never physically seen Him, and I’ve never physically seen Him, how do we know this is possible? It is because God has revealed Himself to us. This revelation is how we come to know Him. It is God’s very nature to be known. He desires to make Himself known in the world. And so, He has revealed Himself to us.
We cannot know God unless He reveals Himself to us. Because we are finite beings created by an infinite, all-powerful, and holy God, we can only know the things He himself reveals to us. Thankfully, it is His prerogative that we should know Him, and so He has shown Himself to us.
People have been thinking about being able to know God for centuries on end. In the 17th century the Westminster Assembly got together and answered a series of questions explaining central doctrines of the church. Once written, this manual was split into two documents known as the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
Question number two in the Westminster Larger Catechism, as seen in the middle of page one of your handouts, is,
“How does it appear that there is a God? Answer: The very light of nature in man, and the works of God, declare plainly that there is a God; but his Word and Spirit only do sufficiently and effectually reveal him unto men for their salvation. ”
This catechism lays out the two ways God reveals Himself to us so that we can know Him and meet with Him: general revelation and special revelation.
General Revelation
Psalm 19:1 -2 says,
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”
This is what the Westminster Catechism draws on when it tells us here that God uses His works to show Himself to us. He created the heavens, the earth, and He created people in His image, at which we should observe and recognize that none of this could have come into being without being created. This is known as general revelation. General revelation is “general” because it is revealed to all people.Romans 1:19-20
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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 (ESV).”
Knowing who God is through creation is enough to be aware of Him. It is enough that those who deny God’s existence as Creator of the universe have no excuse. Despite what any number of philosophies and man-made religions say, however, general knowledge of God is not enough to know Him personally and to meet with Him. In order for God to reveal our sin to us (the things we say, do, and think that dishonor Him); and, how we can be saved from our sin and its repercussions, God must speak specific truths to us about Himself and about ourselves. This is exactly what God does in special revelation.
Special Revelation
Old Testament Abraham: In the Old Testament, God spoke very clearly to Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3 we see it says,
“Now the L ORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred andyour father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you agreat nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you allthe families of the earth shall be blessed.” ”
God called Abram with an audible voice, told him to go where He would lead him, and spoke a number of promises to Abraham regarding how God would bless him and his descendants.
The Law
God even gave Moses the law by which the people of Israel, God’s chosen people, were to live before their God [Exodus 19-20]. It was through the law that God would show His people, both then and now, that we are incapable of keeping God’s law because we are sinners. In this way, God shows us that we cannot be righteous on our own but that we need Him to be our righteousness if we are to be with Him forever. We will talk about this in more depth in a few minutes.
The Prophets
New Testament In the New Testament, God spoke to us through His son, Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:1-2 says,
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 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. ”
John 1:1 says,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ”
This “Word” was Jesus Christ. This was not just a catchy nickname that John had for His teacher. John called Jesus the Word because it was through Jesus that God was speaking to us. Words communicate. That is why we use them. And so, it is no accident that John calls Jesus “the Word.”
Today
What Scripture says about Jesus
From scripture we learn at least five things about Jesus. As you can see on the top of page two of your handouts.
HE IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD
“is the image of the invisible God.” God spoke to us through Jesus about what He is like and who He is.
HE WAS A PROPHET
“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment – what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
HE IS A PRIEST (MEDIATOR)Third , scripture shows us that Jesus is a priest. What was the priest’s function in Old Testament times? They acted as mediator between God and His people. This is exactly what Jesus does, such that we no longer need a human priest because He serves in this capacity for us for all time. Hebrews 9:11-12 says that Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come and that He entered into the holy places, the very thing that the priest was to do,
“not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”
HE IS KINGJohn 18 we hear Pilate ask,
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus responds in John 18:36-37 ,
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. ”
HE IS GODJohn 1: 1,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ”
Colossians 1:16 tells us that it was through Jesus that all things were made. Philippians 2:6 says that Jesus was the very nature, or form of God.
God reveals much about Himself and His Son to us in Scripture. However, He also reveals some things to us about us
What Scripture Says about us The bad news about is that Scripture tells us about ourselves is that we are sinners [Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:1]. We have transgressed against our Creator. And it gets worse. Our sin breaks our relationship with God and our sin keeps us from meeting with God. But it gets even worse. We must remember that though we are the transgressors, we are powerless to restore this broken relationship with God by ceasing to sin. And this sin deserves punishment. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God banished them. This is what happens when we sin. God must reach out and remove this banishment if we are to meet with Him.
The New Testament establishes the means of this restoration, this forgiveness of sin.
1 John 1:9 explicitly says that,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Hebrews 4:16 also tells us that because
“we have a great high priest”
whose name is Jesus we can,
“with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Because of Jesus, we can draw near to God. We can have confidence that we can draw near because Christ is a great high priest who stands in our place for us. Meeting with God always comes through a mediator. This is what differentiates Biblical spirituality from the more mystical traditions of Christianity. If we are to meet with God, we must meet with Him through a mediator and that mediator is Christ. So, let’s be people who practice Biblical spirituality. Let’s recognize that when we go to God in His word, or in prayer or in fellowship with the saints, we are ultimately meeting with God through the mediation of His son, Jesus Christ.
This is why we know our first assertion is true. We can meet with God. We can meet with God through our mediator, Jesus Christ.
[Take questions, or suggest the question below]
Question: So, if a friend asked you if you thought someone could actually meet or commune with God, what would you tell them? How would you explain what we have just talked about to them?
Transition : Now let’s address the assertion that we ought to meet with God.
The Why: Meeting with God is necessary Just because we can meet with God, does that mean that we should? Why should we? Some people only go to God when they have a big question or problem, but this is no way to treat the King of creation. This is no way to treat the God who made us and who has provided a way to meet with Him despite our rebellion against Him. There are at least six reasons we should meet with God.
BECAUSE HE IS WORTHY
BECAUSE WE ARE HISGalatians 4:4-5 tells us that God sent His son so that we might receive adoption as sons. As Christians, we are members of God’s family. Connection simply for the sake of relationship is an inherent part of being in any familial relationship. And so it is with God the Father and us his adopted children.
BECAUSE IT LEADS US INTO A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. ”
Turning from the things of the world and instead going to God will lead us into knowing Him in intimate ways. Remember, God is not a subject to be studied but a person to be known. We can’t lose sight of this. J. I. Packer in his book Knowing God highlights the importance of this in the first few chapters. If you are struggling with the distinction, I highly recommend reading that book.
BECAUSE IT LEADS US TO WORSHIP HIM
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Knowledge of God and relationship with Him overflows into worship of Him. Paul models this for us in these verses here. Theology always leads to doxology. Knowing God always leads to worshiping God.
BECAUSE IT HELPS US GROWHoliness :
“It is intimately and inseparably connected with the whole question of sanctification. It is a leading mark of true saints that they grow.”
“Private religion must receive our first attention, if we wish our souls to grow.”
Friends, we are prone to wander away from the Lord. The currents of culture in which we find ourselves drift us away from holiness. Though we are saved, we still struggle with our flesh and with the devil.
Ephesians 6:10-20 makes it very clear that meeting with God will help us to fight sin and cling to Christ. Meeting with God also reminds us that we are not made for this world. The book of 1 Peter tells us that we are aliens. In a very seductive world, we need this reminder daily and that is what meeting with God does for us.
BECAUSE IT HELPS US PERSEVEREMatthew 10:22 that those who persevere to the end will be saved. We have this call to persevere in the midst of a world of sin and tragedy and hardship and heaviness. How are we going to do it? We must go to God daily so that we can fight this fight. What we want you to see through this class today and through the remainder of the lessons is that we cannot not persevere to the end if we do not meet with God in His word and in prayer regularly.
Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17 ,
“Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth.”
Our sanctification is contingent upon God’s very words.
In Ephesians 6:17-18
“and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…”
Let’s see what else God says about His Word in Hebrews 4:12:
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The verse is surrounded, both before and after, by talk of “not hardening your hearts,” (v. 7) “persevering,” (v. 11) and “heeding God’s word.” You cannot heed God’s word unless you know it and listen to it. We must avail ourselves to God’s Word if we’re going to guard our hearts against disobedience. It is God’s living and active word that will allow us to persevere.
[Pause for questions or ask the question below]
Transition: So we have addressed the “What” and we have addressed the “Why.” Now we will answer the question, “How do we meet with God?”
The How: Meeting with God practically So, we have gone over the Biblical foundations of meeting with God and have seen that we not only can meet with God but also that we should meet with God, and do so consistently. Now let’s look a little closer at how do we meet with God? If we are able to do so and we ought to do so, how do we do it? Let me give you four ways.
BY FAITH
First, and foundationally, we must meet with God through Jesus Christ, our mediator, by faith. Remember Hebrews 4:16 because
“we have a great high priest”
who is Jesus we can,
“with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We draw near to God by faith. This is what Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
We go to God by faith in His Son, having confidence that through Christ, as our perfect substitution, we can have access to God even though we are sinners.
THROUGH SCRIPTURE
Second, we meet with God through scripture. But, what do we mean by scripture? Scripture is the Bible, the written Word of God. It is a collection of 66 documents that together tell the story of God and his relationship with man and the world. It is the story of redemptive history. It is inspired by God, fully authoritative in its entirety, inerrant and trustworthy. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,
“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. ”
Along with all the things we’ve already covered about God’s Word, please note that it is useful. It is useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. It equips us.
Scripture often speaks about itself. As just one example, Jesus tells us in Matthew 4:4 that,
“Man shall not live on bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Other verses that speak of scripture include Deuteronomy 8:3, Romans 15:4 and all of Psalm 119.
Meditation and Self-Examination
Part of meeting with God through scripture involves meditation and self-examination. It does no good to simply read and not try to process what you read. This is why the Psalmist says in Psalm 119,
“I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
And later,
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statues; I will not forget your word.”
Getting into the word involves pouring over it, thinking about what you’ve read and how it applies to your life.
George Mueller, pastor and operator of an orphanage in Bristol in the 1800s said the following in his journal regarding prayer and meditation:
“Now, I saw that the most important thing was to give myself to the reading of God's Word, and to mediation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord...The result of this is that there is always a good deal of confession, thanksgiving, supplication, or intercession mingled with my meditation, and that my inner man almost invariably is even sensibly nourished and strengthened, and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart.” (pg 74-75, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Don Whitney).
THROUGH PRAYEREphesians 6:17-18 says,
“…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit…”
We need to pray that God might give us understanding to be able to meet with Him and know Him more. We’ll actually talk about a number of aspects surrounding prayer in a few weeks, but for now, suffice it to say that we should go to God in prayer that we might know Him more.
WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD
Finally, we meet with God by coming together with the people of God. Though meeting together as a church is not the focus of this class (it is the focus of the “Living as a Church” core seminar), it is important to note that God meets with His people when they come together in worship. We will also talk a bit more about this next week when we discuss the importance of hearing the Word of God preached.
The End: Time with God
So, we meet with God first of all by faith, in scripture, in prayer and through the people of God. I want to leave you finally with a definition of a quiet time that I hope will be helpful. It is
“part of the day that we set aside for the worship of God, for the reading of the Word of God and for fellowship with God so that we would know Him more, know ourselves in light of Him, and know the world according to God’s perspective.”
The quiet time recalibrates our perspective on the world according to God’s perspective on the world. The purpose of a quiet time is essentially the same as what Calvin said in the opening lines of his Institutes.
“Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”
May we meet with God this week in hopes of growing in those two areas.
Let’s pray.
