I've got to tell you, one of the things that I want to know more than anything else is actually to know God. It's one of those deep desires I have, and longings that I have in my own heart. And I'm hoping that men out there listening want the same. But how do we know God? I mean, how do we really know God if we can't actually physically see him? And for those of us that actually do know him in a very personal way - I think it actually is a huge challenge to be able to describe to other people what it means to know God.
So this is an important discussion for us today. But if you have a hard time with this, and a hard time trying to understand how to know God. And a hard time explaining what it means to know God to other people - then, I've got to tell you-you are not alone. Because I'm looking at a text today from John, chapter 14 - beginning in verse 5 through 11, where there's a couple of dumbfounded guys in this text. They're just like you and me. They don't understand how to know God. And what's so fascinating about it - is that 2 of them are disciples, and they've just spent a couple of years with Jesus.
Now just toward the end of Jesus' life, Jesus is pointing his disciples in a direction. And he essentially says that he's not going to be with them any longer, and here's their response in John 14, verse 5. "Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I'm the way the truth in a life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would've known my father also. From now on you do know him, and have seen him.'"
Now I've got to say, this is probably one of the most divisive statements in the entire Bible - for sure in the Gospels, for Jesus to say that "I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life." Man, that's divisive. It's a significant statement. It's a profound proclamation that Jesus Christ, in essence, is part of the deity. He's God. And these guys don't exactly know what to do with that. Because you see, they want to know God, but Jesus is trying to tell them that, "I am him, and he is in me."
Now, Philip responds to this by playing all his cards. And he says, "Lord, show us the Father, and it's enough for us." And Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?" Now, this is one of those pandering statements that you would make to your 13-year-old son, right? Who you've just explained something to about 5 million times, and he still doesn't get it.
I think Jesus is having one of those moments with his disciples. Because he's essentially saying that, "You've been with me for like a long time. I've been with you every day for a couple of years, and you still don't get it?" And then Jesus says, "Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father?' Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?" The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority - but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in Father, and the Father's in me. Or else believe on account of the works themselves."
Now, this is one of those fascinating moments where Jesus is having this interchange. And I - I kinda wonder what he's thinking and feeling in this moment, when he's gotten to the end of his life, and he knows it's about to end. And he's explaining a little bit more to the disciples, and they still don't get it. But I know that I'm no different than Thomas and Philip. And there are moments in my spiritual life that I simply don't get it. And I've got to be told again by Jesus, "Here's what it means to know him."
Now what's fascinating about this particular text is that there's something happening behind the words that we really can't see. Our English language doesn't quite capture the potency of this moment. Because there are some things happening in the Greek language that - they create a special interchange for us to understand what it really means to know God. Because these guys, they want to know God. But they just don't understand how to know him, okay?
So let's look at a couple of Greek words here. First, we're going to look at a Greek word that Thomas and Philip are thinking and saying. And it's the word for "know." The verb, "to know." And the word that they choose to use is oida. Which is a propositional understanding, like a knowledge. Something that you would understand in your brain. Of course, we understand that Thomas is thinking about it in a directional sense. Because he says, "Lord, we do not know directionally where you are going. How can we know directionally the way?"
And so Thomas is thinking about knowing in a propositional state, in a process state. But Jesus comes back to him with another form of the verb, "to know." He says, "If you had known--" And the word there is gnoskso me. "If you had known me." And Jesus' word is - well - it's surgically a little different. In this case here, Jesus is using a word that means a full knowing. So the way Thomas phrases his question is, "Tell me directionally the way, so I can know the way to the father." And Jesus replies with, "If you had known me - any full kind of knowing. Then you would have known my Father also."
Two very different Greek words here, but in the essence of this moment - Jesus is teaching these guys, using the Greek language. To help them to understand what it really means to know God. You see, I believe that there are probably about 3 different instances of what the word "to know," actually means. So let's take a look at - at least 3 different definitions of this word.
To know - number 1 - can mean propositional knowledge. Like I know that - something. To know - number 2 - can mean process knowledge to know how to do something. But to know - number 3 - is a personal knowledge. An acquaintance knowledge, a relationship knowledge of somebody else.
And Jesus is suggesting for us here - I believe - that it's one thing to directionally know your way to the Father. It's one thing to know a lot about the Father. But it's a completely 'other thing - it's a whole other thing to understand who God actually is - and have a deep, intimate, relational, personal knowledge of God. So Jesus is trying to simplify this whole thing. That actually knowing God is more about the type of a relationship and vibrancy that we have with him than the things that we know.
For example, I've got an MDiv Degree in Bible. But that doesn't mean that I know more about Jesus than you guys that are listening to me on the other end of this podcast. Because it isn't about our propositional knowledge. It has much more to do with our relationship with God than knowledge about God. And that's vastly different. So for us who are wanting to know God more - all we got to do is look at people who really understood what it truly meant to know God.
Let's just take David for a moment, from the Old Testament. King David. Young King David, when he's running out to the Valley of Elah. As he's about to do battle with - of the giant Goliath - says something profound here, that helps us to see what it really means to know God. David, as he's approaching Saul, and Saul is - is asking why he wants to engage in this. And he's creating fear - I believe, in David's heart. David responds by saying, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant--" It's David. "Will go and fight with this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go fight against this Philistine, to fight with him - for you are but a youth. And he has been a man of war from his youth."
But David said to Saul, "Saul, your servant, David - used to keep sheep with his father. And when there came a lion or a bear - and it took a lamb from the flock, I went after him - and I struck him and I delivered it out of his mouth. And if he rose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and kill him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them. For he has defied the armies of the living God." And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine."
Now there's a young man who understood what it meant to know God. In the face of whatever fear he faced when the face of-- Whatever circumstance, whatever trial - we see David at this moment look out at it, and go, "My circumstance is tiny compared to the incredible size and power and might of my God." Now there's a young man who knew God. And you could see that propositional and process knowledge are completely different from personal knowledge.
Gentlemen, my challenge for you this week, would be to - to take a deep, hard look at how you've been pursuing God. Just how you've been pursuing him. Have you been pursuing him by taking in a lot of information about him? By growing in your knowledge about who he is, or rather - have you been building a vibrant knowledge of who God is - in your own heart, in your time and relationship with him?
So gentlemen, this week - I want to encourage you to get with a couple of other men, at least maybe 1 other guy. Call him up on the phone, talk to him about what you're being challenged with right now in your spiritual life. Maybe go out and grab a cup of coffee with him. Go to our website, download the handout that goes with this guide. Talk with Him through the issues that you're facing, and figure out how can you know God more? What are - what is an action plan you can put into place to drive that intimacy deeper?
And I can promise you - it's not propositional knowledge, it's not process knowledge. It has something to do with the amount of time that you give to God himself. Is it equivalent to how much time you spend at work? How much time do you spend playing? How much money do you spend on yourself? All the things that you endear yourself with - are you spending that same amount of time, and investing that in your relationship with God? I've got to tell you when you do that - you discover what it means to know God. And then God out of that will do spectacular things through you.
