Getting To Know Him Part 2
Matt 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
KJV
I preached Sunday night on the book of John chapter 4 where the Woman at the well met Jesus. It was at the well that Jesus offered her a revelation of who He was. God is saying to this church, “Know Me More! Seek Me for Me! If you will do that, I will give you what you desire.” The revelation He gave to the woman of Samaria, is the same revelation He is wanting to give to us.
He wants to reveal Himself to this church. He wants to reveal Himself to this community. He wants to reveal Himself to the sinner that walks through those doors. He wants to reveal Himself to those who are willing to seek Him.
I think what happens sometimes, is that we meet Him, but we don’t get to know Him. Many of us in this church can say, “we met Him”, but how many can say, “I know Him”. We Pentecostals are worse about it. We get caught up in the miracles, signs, and wonders and then we neglect to seek Him.
At this moment we are seeking healing, strength, financial blessing, but I believe that when we seek God for who He is, then He has no choice but to give it to us. It’s part of the marriage…Just like your marriage, there are benefits to marriage when you get to know that person.
If you know Him, you will not backslide. If you know Him, you will not let offenses run you off. If you know Him, you will not allow discord in the body. If you know Him, you will not hate, but LOVE.
Knowing Him means seeking Him at every moment.. Think about when men sit watching TV all night and the wife is cooking dinner, gives the kids a bath and then comes in and sits down beside her man…She has all the kids in the bed, and there ain’t nothing to distract time alone except the stupid TV. She sits for a while and then gets up and goes to bed, and then the man, after watching Crossing Jordan, brushes his teeth, combs his hair and gets into the bed and slides up beside his woman, but when he gets to her he finds a woman that is cold as ICE…
God is saying, it starts before the bedroom. Sometimes you have to turn the distractions off. Turn the job off. Turn the telephone off. Turn the computer off. Turn everything that is a distraction off and just seek after me…
David said in Ps 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
KJV
You want blessing? Seek Him with your whole heart!
We want financial blessings and so in our prayers we say, “Oh God send me financial blessing.” David was convinced that if you wanted blessing, it was going to come when you seek Him with your whole heart.
When you seek Him and get to Know Him, then He wants to give you those things. It’s His nature to give to His people.
Mark 7:20-23
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
KJV
Sin is in the heart. It is full of evil things, but when we turn our heart to God and allow Him to have control then sin can not live. It’s important that we have the Holy Ghost because the heart is what we seek God with, and without the Holy Ghost, sin takes over and man is defiled.
I get clean through the washing by the blood of the Lamb. I get clean by baptism. I am clean through Him, so that is the reason we seek after Him with our whole heart.
Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life .
KJV
Whatever is in your heart is the issues of your life. If you’re not seeking God with all of your heart then there are issues that will keep you from seeking Him.
If you have hate in your heart…Then that is the issue you will deal with and it will keep you from Him. If you have lust in your heart…Then that is the issue you will deal with and it will keep you from Him.
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart , and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
KJV
Jesus said this is the first commandment. If you don’t Love me with all your heart, then you can’t move forward…Seeking Him means that we are doing it with all of our heart, because out of the heart comes the issues of Life.
What is feeding your life? What issues are feeding your life, your family, your community?
Ps 42:1-2
As a deer longs for a stream of cool water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for you, the living God.
When can I go and worship in your presence?
TEV
This is not a substitute and not a concept, David said, I want the real thing…I’m not interested in religion, I am only interested in you…
Prov 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
KJV
Prov 29:18 A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order. Happy is the man who keeps God’s law!
TEV
Your vision determines your victory. We pray and serve God according to how clearly we see Him. God’s purpose becomes dim when we loose focus of Him. We loose focus of Him when we don’t seek Him regularly.
When we get to know Him better, our faith gets stronger. Faith causes us to focus on the promise while we struggle through problems. Faith says there is a promise land when we can’t see it. Faith says there is a day of rest when it’s nowhere in sight.
Your victory is a result of your vision and your vision is a result of your faith. All of this comes as a result of Knowing Him. The better you know Him, the more faith and clearer vision you will have.
There is a song that I use to hear. When you can’t see His hand trust His heart. It takes me back to the heart issue. The better you know Him the better you can trust Him in any situation. Out of the heart flows the issues of life…
Conclusion:
Pharisee and Pentecost both begin with P. Both confess they know more scripture and truth about God than anybody else. But it’s possible to substitute study for substance…Scripture for the author…Doctrine for Deity…We know the book, but do we know the God of the book!
Last Wednesday night I told you to Know Him we need a revelation of Him. All worship flows out of divine revelation. We know Him better through worship and we worship him based on what we know about Him.
