#4-Jesus Came So We Can Know God Series

Sermon Notes

Series: Why Did Jesus Come?

Sermon: #4-So We Could Know God

Scripture: Philippians 3:4b-14

God’s desire all along for man has been that man would know and love God and have intimate F_______________ with Him.

I. We cannot know God or become the people God wants us to be through the F_____________., 3-8.

If Paul’s...heritage, education, work history, and obedience to God’s Word is what you can depend on to make you what you need to be, HE would have had it made... He should have been ultimately F_____________ in life.

But they caused him to miss out on where he needed to put his T___________, which is in Christ

II. We can ONLY know God or become the people God wants us to be through J_____________., 9-14.

Jesus said that we would know the Father, if we know Him. (John 14: 8-9, John 10:10, 1 John 5:20).

III. How do we get to know God through Jesus?

Read the Bible with a T_________ to Know God

Ps 42:1-2

2. Grow in our fellowship and L________ for a group of Christians.

3. Reach out to other people to become a part of our spiritual F_______________.

The number one need for human beings is Love and B________________.

One of the greatest ministries that helps us do that is the ministry of H__________________—inviting people into your home—people in your class and people you’re reaching out to.

Series: Why Did Jesus Come?

Sermon: #4: So We Could Know God

Scripture: Philippians 3:4b-14

It is said that Marilyn Monroe wanted people to see her for who she was deep down and not just for being physically attractive or being the sex symbol that she portrayed. Because no one seemed to truly want to know her, she felt empty and ultimately committed suicide.

(adapted from http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/i/intimacy.htm)

God’s desire all along for man has been that man would know and love God and have intimate fellowship with Him.

All the way back at the time of the Exodus, God says that He is going to deliver the people of Israel, so that they will know that He is the Lord their God (Ex. 6: 7). God brought the plagues on Egypt, so they the Egyptians would know that He is the Lord (Ex. 7: 5). Deuteronomy 7: 9 Moses reminds the people, before they go into the promised land to “know that the Lord their God IS God.”

On and on through the Old Testament, God declares that He does what He does, so that people will know HE alone is God and will know what He is like and will submit to Him as God. After the prophets, and after the 400 years of silence from God, when God’s timing was right, He sent His Son, Jesus. At 30 years of age, Jesus began His ministry of teaching us by words and by example who God is, what God is like, what God’s kingdom is like, and how He wants us to live. One of the reasons Jesus came was so that we could know God.

But the first point that Paul is making in these verses is that

I. We (you and I) cannot know God or become the people God wants us to be through the flesh., 3-8.

3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

The word, ‘confidence,’ means ‘to be so thoroughly convinced of something that you rely on it, you depend on it, ‘ I am not convinced that the things of the flesh will give me the kind of life God will be pleased with, and will not give true and complete fulfillment, and will not lead to the resurrected life in eternity. Now, that’s putting it in my words for what he says here in this passage.

Now, Paul goes on to talk about what He means by the word, ‘flesh,’ in the next two verses.

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

Paul says, If anybody’s got the right to put their faith in the flesh, or the worldly things that he is about to mention, it’s me. Then, he gives us a list of things that, in the world’s view might put him up higher on the spiritual ladder of success.

5 circumcised on the eighth day-As an eight-day old child, his parents saw to it that he met the requirement of the Old Testament Law.

...of the people of Israel-God’s chosen people; the people who knew the one true God.

...of the tribe of Benjamin,-Here he makes reference to David’s lineage, so there’s Hebrew royalty in his blood.