Energizer Life Church

Knowing God Completely?

As we preach this series - “preach” literally means “to announce good news”. That’s what we’re doing every time we preach, we’re announcing Good News!

Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

Our goal for this series on Knowing God is…...

To help you have a real and personal understanding of Who God is, and what God is like.

So that…....

You will know how that understanding can and will change your life.
How you can get to know him, or get to know him more
And what will be the outcomes of Knowing God (next time I speak )

This Morning we’re going to look at:

How you can know God!

Can you Know God completely?

Lewis Hamilton

On Saturday morning I read an interesting Story about Lewis Hamilton

Now because I’m a bit of a petrol head and some of my misspent youth,
I was a interested in the story.

Lewis Hamilton was leaving Albert Park in Melbourne after completing one of the practice days for the Australian Grand prix.

Remember Lewis is still a young Man!  He’s driving a current model Mercedes E500 saloon and decides a bit of a burnout would be the thing to do in Fitzroy Street St Kilda.

The police pulled him up and impounded his car for 48 hours

He apologized so I guess that makes it all right…..

He said:
“This evening, I was driving in an over-exuberant manner and, as a result, was stopped by the police, ““What I did was silly, and I want to apologise for it.”

So I thought I would relay the story to Alix because it interested me and its a little amusing.

As I’m about to tell Alix, I had a thought

I wonder if she knows who Lewis Hamilton is?

Alix do you know who Lewis Hamilton is?

“No” was the answer.  My first response was really!  Everyone knows Lewis Hamilton.

Ok so I have to explain he’s a Formula 1 racing driver and has been a world champion, he comes from Britain and he drives for Mclaren.

Alix didn’t know Lewis Hamilton, thats no big deal she doesn’t follow motor racing.

But I Know him,
I’ve watched him race on tv, read about him, listened to interviews.

I know a little about his personality and history.

I know that his father and family have been a huge influence in his life and have made huge sacrifices to get him to where he is today.

I know he’s fiercely competitive.

I know that caused problems with his former teammate Fernando Alonso

So you can see I know a little bit about him…....

Do I really know him? No!
Do I really know what he is like? No

Do I know what makes him happy?

Do I know about his fears, his disappointments, his dreams beyond Motor sport, how you really communicate with him?
No I know none of those things.

Why?

Because I only know about him!

The only difference between Alix and I in relation to Lewis, was I knew a little about him.  We both don’t really know him

I’ve never met him, we’ve never hung out and talked about our biggest burnout

The other factor is surprising I know, Lewis doesn’t know me.

An awful lot of people know about God but they don’t Know Him

People fit into 3 categories when it comes to knowing God

1.There are people who don’t know God,
Perhaps no one has ever told them about him or they don’t believe in God,
they choose to believe he doesn’t exist

Btw way just because you don’t believe in something that doesn’t make it go away

You may not believe in speed cameras, that won’t make them go away and that won’t stop you having to deal with the consequences of their existence

2.Those who know about Him
That’s probably where a large percentage of our population find themselves

Just like I know about Lewis Hamilton, Nelson Mandela, Miley Cirus and Kevin Rudd

I don’t really know them, I’ve never met them, I just know something about them.

I knew a whole lot more about Lewis Hamilton than Alix who didn’t even know who he was until yesterday morning but we both have the same relationship with him - none!

Knowing about God by itself won’t give you any more connection and relationship to him than the person who hasn’t heard of him or doesn’t even believe he exists.

3.Those who Know Him

God is not like a celebrity

He knows You! and he’s always Known you.

Ephesians 1:4 (New Living Translation)
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

Psalm 139:13 (New Living Translation)
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Isaiah 43:1
  “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.  I have called you by name; you are mine.

If You want to get know someone it really helps if they know you.

I can know all about Lewis Hamilton or any other celebrity but if they don’t know me, I will never really get to know them.

God Knows you not only does he know you he loves you, he wants the best for you and he wants you to really know Him.

Can you Know God Completely?

Let’s open our bibles to Ephesians 3

Ephesians 3:19 (New Living Translation)

19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Can you know God Completely?

Paul’s talking about God here, Christ which means the anointed one he’s talking about God, God the The Son, the word or Jesus our King and Saviour.

He says may you experience the love of Christ!

Some of it, or just your bit I mean there are a lot of people for it to go around

May you experience “The Love”

Can you Know God Completely?

His love is so great you will never fully understand it
His power, His knowledge, His greatness, His glory, His magnificence
It’s all so great it will probably take us an eternity to understand

But how much of God love’s can we experience?

all of it!

Let me take you back to verse 16

16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.

17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.

Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

Can you Know God Completely?

The short and correct answer is not in this life time

The problem with that answer is that’s where a lot of us live,

God is too big, He’s too hard for a simple guy like me to understand
It’s too hard for me, a mum with three kids

It’s too hard for me a sales consultant
It’s too hard for me a gardener
It’s even too hard for me a doctor

I will just live in what I understand, that worked for my parents.

If that’s our experience of God we’re ripped off

Paul prays:
out of his what?

Listen carefully I want you to get this

I had a number of what I thought where great points and I’m not going to go there today we’ll do that another time.

Out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

wow!

Out of his unlimited resources, he wants you to be empowered with inner strength.

So this is a serious potent amount of strength,
Like nothing you can Imagine

Think of the most potent power you’ve experienced
Alix told me for her it was the roller coaster at luner park

Maybe you’ve been thrown across the room by an electric shock, maybe it’s a powerful car or motor bike, maybe Its that feeling just before take off as you launch down the runway in a jet,

That is nothing compared with the unlimited resources of God

Why does he want to empower us with this unlimited inner strength

The answer is in Vs.17

17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.

Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

So many people miss and sell themselves short of living a life where they really know God

If you can understand these three truths you can Not only know about God or Know him a little bit but you can really Know Him

Write these down

1.Out of his unlimited resources God can make me supernaturally strong inside

No matter how you feel:
Strong, weak, proud, humble inadequate, not worthy, depressed

God has unlimited resources to make you strong on the inside through his spirit.

2.So I can permanently contain his Son

So you can contain the Son of God,
So God himself can be present in you
Think about that
That’s the reason he’s pulled out all stops to make you strong inside

John 14:23: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

3.Then I will have the power to understand:

how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

It makes sense doesn’t it

God himself is in us he will give us the power to understand

how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

You can know God more than you thought you could

There is something quite measurable about that

You can no how wide his love is:

So wide that it covers over our sin, and it covers over every circumstance of my life, so that all things work together for good.

How Long is it?
When did the love of God start towards me? How long will it continue?

Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord appeared to us in the past,* saying:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

How Deep is it?

Deep enough for the son of God Deep enough for King Jesus to leave heaven come into our physical realm and suffer pain humiliation and separation of a perfect relationship For you and I

How High is it?

Ephesians 2:6
For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus.

High enough to lift us out of what ever situation or mess we find our selves
High enough to lift our vision beyond this world and see with Kingdom Vision

High enough lift us up and seat us with him in the spiritual world

God’s love is wide enough to include everyone
God’s love is long enough to last through all eternity.
God’s love is deep enough to reach the worst of the worst
God’s love is high enough to take us to heaven.

Paul is writing this letter from Rome where he was under house arrest

He talks about God’s Mysterious plan being revealed

Ephesians 3:3
how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

In English a ‘mystery’ is something dark, obscure, secret, puzzling.

The Greek word mü-stā’-rē-on is different,
It’s still a ‘secret’, it is no longer closely guarded but open

He’s saying it is a truth hidden from human knowledge or understanding until now!

But now It’s understood by the revelation of God.

Paul says I have great news the Mysteries or Secrets of God are being revealed.

Conclusion

By Revelation!!!

 

Have you ever heard someone say something about a friend of yours?

And you think he’s not like that!

You might answer, you just don’t know him!!

If you really knew him, you wouldn’t say that.

Everyday people make assumptions about God.  People blame God for all sorts of things, believers and non believers alike.

Do you know God?

What is God like? 

Below are seventeen things that God is:

God is…................

1. God is not a man

Numbers 23:19 (New Living Translation) “God is not a man, so he does not lie.  He is not human, so he does not change his mind.  Has he ever spoken and failed to act?  Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”

2. He is the beginning and the end

Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

3. He is a jealous God.

That means he created everything there is nothing that didn’t come through his original creation

4. A powerful God…..........

Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

5. A compassionate God

Deuteronomy 4:31 “For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

6. God is with us

Deuteronomy 7:21 “You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

7. God is Awesome

8. God is Impartial

Deuteronomy 10:17 ” For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.

9. God will never fail

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you.”

10. God is with you

Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

11. God Fights for you

Joshua 23:10 “One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you

12. God is your strength

2 Samuel 22:33 “God is my strong fortress”

Psalm 59:9 Because of his strength I will watch for You, for God is my stronghold.
13. God is our refuge

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

14. God is righteous

Psalm 7:11 “God is a righteous judge”

15. God is your sustainer

Psalm 54:4 “Behold, God is my helper;The Lord is the sustainer of my soul”

16. God is our Salvation

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation,I will trust and not be afraid;For the LORD GOD is my strength and song,And He has become my salvation.”

17. God is Spirit and truth

John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God wants to connect with you at the very core at the very essences of who you are

No rubbish absolute truth;

Interesting, Jesus spoke those words (John 4:24) to a woman who had had five husbands and was shacked up with another guy.

I would say she’d been craving a genuinely true and intimate relationship.

That day she found what she’d been looking for.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

God is For You!

 

Life Groups are small groups of people, drawn together by common age, purpose or interest to learn, grow and be inspired together. Being a part of a Life Group connects you into the life of our Church, giving you the opportunity to grow, stretch and flourish in an intimate environment of family. Our Life Groups are many and varied, catering for people of all ages and from all walks of life.