How to know God?
How to know God?
Would you like to know God personally?
What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Do you need to devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Must you become a better person so that God will accept you? You may be surprised that none of those things will work. But God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him. The following principles will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now, through Jesus Christ.
Principle 1
God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
01
God loves you
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.” 1 John 4:9
God wants you to know Him
“And this is the way to have eternal life – to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
John 17:3
Why do you think most people do not know God personally?
Principle 2
God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
What is sin?
We were created to have a relationship with God but we rejected him and the relationship was broken.
This rejection of God and the building of our lives around anything else is what the Bible calls sin. We show this by having selfish actions and attitudes, by disobeying God or displaying indifference toward him.
Everyone is sinful
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
Romans 3:23
▲ = Holy God
God is perfect and we are sinful. There is a great gap between us because of our sin.
We may try to bridge this gap through good deeds or following a religion. However, all our efforts fail because they can’t solve the problem of sin that keeps us from God.
02
Sin has consequences
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
God is perfect and just and will hold us accountable for our sin. There is a penalty for rejecting God.
The third point gives us the only solution to this problem…
Principle 3
Jesus is God’s only solution for our sin. Only through Him can we know God and receive His love and forgiveness.
Jesus came back to life
“During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles … and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive” Acts 1:3a.
His resurrection proved that he was God and that he had suffered the punishment we deserved in our place.
Jesus is the only way
“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'”
John 14:6
03
Jesus is God
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.”
Colossians 1:15
Jesus died in our place
“Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.”
1 Peter 3:18a
▲ = God † = Jesus
Although we deserve to be cut off from God forever, in his love God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross.
Through Jesus, God has bridged the gap that separates us from him, and provided a way for us to be forgiven and restored to relationship with him.
God proves His love…
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.
It’s not enough just to know these points…
Principle 4
We must each respond to Jesus by placing our trust in Him as our Saviour and Lord. Only then can we know God personally.
04
This response involves …
Agreeing
with God that we are sinful and deciding to turn from our sin.
– Trusting God
to forgive us completely because Jesus died for our sin.
– Choosing
to follow Jesus; putting him first in our lives.
The relationship is personal
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12
The relationship is a gift
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it’s a gift from God… so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8-9
“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life.” Titus 3:5
We have a choice to make
These circles describe two types of people
Self-Directed Person
People like this have never received Jesus into their lives. They remain guilty and cut off from God by their sin.
Christ-Directed Person
People like this have received Jesus into their lives. They have been forgiven and experience God’s love.
Which circle best describes you? Which would you like to describe you?
It’s not enough just to know or feel that this is true. We have a choice to make…
To begin a relationship with God, you must place your trust in Jesus alone.
God is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.
You can express your attitude towards God through prayer.
Prayer is simply talking with God.
Here is a suggested prayer
Lord Jesus,
I want to know you personally.
I’m sorry for going my own way. Please forgive me for all my sin.
Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for my sin.
I agree to turn from my old ways and follow you as my Saviour and Lord.
Could you say this to God and mean it?
Is there anything stopping you from saying this right now?
What happens when you put your trust In Jesus?
If you asked Jesus into your life as Saviour and Lord, many things have happened, including:
1
Jesus has come into your life
Jesus has come into your life by the Holy Spirit and he will never leave you.
Hebrews 13:5
2
Your sins have been forgiven
All your sins have been forgiven.
Colossians 1:13-14
3
You are now a child of God
You have become a child of God. He is your heavenly father.
Galatians 3:26
4
You have been empowered
God has given you new power to live a transformed life.
2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 3:14-21
5
You are now friends with God
You have started a friendship with God that will last forever. John 17:3
But how do we know this actually happened?
How can you be sure that all this has really happened?
…because God has promised, and he can be trusted.
Thank God often that Jesus is in your life, and that he will never leave you.
Romans 8:38-39
You have the Spirit of Christ
You can know that the Spirit of Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life from the moment you invited Jesus into your life, because this is what he has promised.
“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.”
1 John 5:11-13
Rely on God
…because God has promised, and he can be trusted.
Thank God often that Jesus is in your life, and that he will never leave you.
Romans 8:38-39
Trust facts not feelings
To be transported by an aeroplane, we must put our trust in the construction of the aircraft. Our feelings do not influence the fact that the plane will carry us.
In the same way, we can rely on God and trust what he has promised in the Bible, and not depend on the way we feel.
So what comes next?
How to grow as a follower of Jesus:
1
Get to know God
Get to know God by reading the Bible daily.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Begin with the gospel of John or Mark.
2
Respond
Respond to God in prayer.
Phillipians 4:6
3
Obey
Obey God moment by moment.
Luke 6:46-49
4
Walk
Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 3:14-21, 5:18
5
Tell others
Tell others about Jesus through your life and words.
Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Ephesians 4:1
6
Have fellowship
Have fellowship with other Christians.
Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42-47