Study in John’s Gospel

1. Study in John’s Gospel Presentation 72

2. Knowing God Chap 17v1-5 Presentation 72

3. Introduction Christian workers regularly use many words and phrases to explain the gospel e.g. "sin," "atonement," "the new birth," “faith in Jesus," etc. These central biblical terms lie at the heart of our Christian proclamation. But what if the meaning of these expressions remain a mystery to an enquirer? Can other terms be used? Look at v3 which says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Here the operative term is knowledge - "that they may know." Knowing God is salvation. By contrast, not knowing God, and not wanting to, is sin. Presentation 72

4. True Knowledge Of course we must be careful to define what is meant by knowledge. There are three uses of this word that are inadequate. First, a definition that means mere awareness. For example, to say that the U.K. is governed by parliament is not a very profound kind of knowledge. It is an awareness that a child picks up at school. Paul uses it to describe an awareness of God supressed by men: “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” Rom 1v19-20. This awareness of God in not the kind of knowledge that Jesus links to eternal life, otherwise all would be saved. Presentation 72

5. True Knowledge Secondly, "knowledge" can be understood as possessing information. Knowing a great deal about a certain subject. Returning to our illustration the ability to recall the name of every British MP and their constituencies, the size of their carbon footprint and even their shirt collar size. In spiritual terms this would equate with the kind of knowledge of God possessed by a theologian who, while he may have many facts about God at his fingertips, need not necessarily have any experience of God in his life. Significantly, John Wesley worked as a missionary to the North American Indians before he came to saving faith in Christ. He possessed lots of facts but at that time didn’t know God. Presentation 72

6. True Knowledge Thirdly, there is the knowledge of experience. But this, although better than either of the other two, is still inadequate. We might think of this as the experience of a person who goes outside into the fields around his house on a summer night and looks up into the heavens and says, "I have experienced God. Do not confuse me with your theology. I don't want words. I have experienced the real thing." We may believe that such a person is imagining his experience, but this is not necessarily so, nor is his experience without meaning. He may have experienced something very profound. But moving as this may be, it falls far short of the knowledge Jesus had in mind. Presentation 72

7. True Knowledge What then does Jesus mean by knowledge? It involves a knowledge of God and of ourselves in the context of a personal encounter. As we become aware of God’s holiness, we become aware of our sinfulness and of our deep personal need - it is also an encounter with God’s grace which points us to Christ who is our Saviour. This knowledge occurs only when God's Holy Spirit has been at work to enlighten our understanding. This knowledge of encounter always changes us and produces a heart response to God of true devotion. This is involved even in Christ's brief statement, for he stresses that the knowledge of which he is speaking is knowledge of the true God and of himself as Saviour. Presentation 72

8. The True God This brings us to consider knowing the true God as opposed to a false or imaginary God. It causes us to ask: “Who is this God? What effect does he have on us when we come to know Him?” An O. T. example is helpful at this point. Before God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, Moses was aware of God. He had been born into a godly home. He had received religious instruction. He even believed in God's promises to deliver his people from Egyptian bondage and by killing an Egyptian he had put himself forward as that deliverer. But Moses had never had a personal encounter with God until God revealed himself to him in the burning bush at the base of Mount Sinai. Presentation 72

9. The True God Moses had been going along minding his own business when he noticed the bush. The fact that it was burning was not in itself miraculous. The astonishing thing was that the bush did not burn up. As he drew closer a voice came to him out of the bush saying, "Moses! Moses!.. Do not come any closer, Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.“ Ex.3v4-5 God wanted Moses to come close and listen to what he had to say. But the first words Moses heard were: "Do not come near; take off your shoes." The first thing God revealed about himself was his holiness. How did Moses respond? We read in the next verse: "Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God" Ex.3v6 Presentation 72

10. The True God Have you ever been afraid because at one and the same time God’s holiness and your sinfulness have had a personal encounter? I don’t mean: "Are you always afraid of God?" or “You should be afraid of God?"For if you have trusted in Jesus for salvation then you can come boldly before God. But I mean: Have you ever been really disturbed knowing that you must ultimately deal with One who cannot tolerate sin in any form and who must judge it? If you have not really known God in that way, then your knowledge of God is superficial. Consequently, you do not really know much about the depth of your own sin or the true measure of God's great grace. Presentation 72

11. God’s Knowledge Secondly, God revealed to Moses his own comprehensive knowledge of all things; the suffering of his people at the hand of Pharaoh, Moses’ strengths and weaknesses and the difficulties Moses would face in pressing for his people’s release. Why is it important to know that God knows everything? So that we will not be tempted to try to fool God with the measure of our heart devotion. God is not fooled by anything. Consequently, our relationship with him must be based on honesty, "Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" Heb. 4.13 Our hearts really are transparent to God and from Him nothing can be hidden. Presentation 72

12. God’s Knowledge If God did not know everything, if something could at any moment rise up and surprise him, then God could not be trusted. For however good his intentions, that unexpected thing might cause him to change his mind. But God does know all things both in the past and future, so nothing unforeseen can change him. There is a lizard called a chameleon that changes its colour to blend into its changing background and circumstances. God is no chameleon! He has seen the end from the beginning. He has taken all into consideration. Nothing we can ever do will surprise him or make him change. Thus, he can be trusted to remain the same in himself and toward us forever. Presentation 72

13. Our Sovereign God The third thing that Moses learned about God was his sovereignty. Moses was being sent to Pharaoh with a message, "Let my people go." Moses did not want to do that. It was going to be hard and challenging. Perhaps we can identify with that! Moses made excuses, but they were not valid. He asked for signs, God provided them! At last God intensified the tone of his orders, and Moses, who eventually ran out of excuses, submitted to God. Have you learned this about God? He is a sovereign God who will be obeyed, he will certainly see his will rather than ours done in the universe? So why do we fight him? Why do we find this matter of doing the will of God so unwelcome? Presentation 72

14. Knowing God We have finally arrived at the root of the problem of man’s knowledge of God, for the problem is not that God has not revealed himself or that we don’t have the ability to seek after him for salvation. The problem is that many do not want to do this, because they find the true God, who is there to be known, threatening. His holiness is threatening. His knowledge is threatening. His sovereignty is threatening. All that can be known of God is considered to be profoundly threatening. Presentation 72

15. Knowing God But God knows this and has taken steps to reveal himself to us in spite of our sinful dispositions against him. First, he has revealed himself in history, through supernatural interventions in earthly affairs. In the O. T. this intervention had its focus on Israel, in their deliverance, guidance, and preservation. In the N. T. God’s intervention centres primarily in Jesus, the embodiment of God’s personal revelation. Jesus paid the price of our sin. He shows the nature of God to be love, while at the same time satisfying God's justice. Presentation 72

16. Knowing God Secondly, God has revealed himself in writing, in Scripture So that we might know what God has done and that we might understand it. We would not even know what Jesus had said, as in the case of this particular text, for example, if God had not caused these things to be written down and preserved throughout the years of church history down to our own generation. Presentation 72

17. Knowing God Finally, God reveals himself to us personally by applying these truths to us by the work of his own Holy Spirit. So great is our sin, so warped our knowledge, that even with the interpretation of his acts in Scripture we would not know God or understand his ways, apart from this activity. This makes knowledge itself God's gift. And so it is, for no one would ever know God in the fullest sense unless God first revealed himself and then made the reception of this knowledge possible. Presentation 72

18. Conclusion Jesus came into this world that ‘we may know God’. It is a truly remarkable thing that God has made himself known to us. He does not want to hide in his universe. He has made us for himself. But more than that, he has made us for face to face communion with himself. He wants a growing and deepening relationship for he wants to delight in us. Man’s rebellion and fall did not frustrate his purpose. He sent his Son to establish a way back for sinful man into his holy presence. He has dealt with all of the problems that would hinder our knowledge of him. The only thing he will not do is force us into this wonderful relationship against our will. Which leaves the question, “Do you truly want to know God?” Presentation 72