There are many Christians who are so worldly and they have no excitement for God. God seems to be so boring and the world seems to be so exciting. The days are fast approaching for the day of judgment but many are sleeping in their worldly security. Many will try to seek the great wealth of the world but will not cry out for the treasures of the knowledge of God. Growing in the knowledge of God will provide you an inflaming passion for knowing more and more of God.
Natural knowledge and spiritual knowledge
There are different kinds of subjects that we learn in school and on this life.
These subjects need to be learned in schools and it will bring knowledge. This
knowledge is learnt by mans natural reasoning. But the knowledge of God cannot
be learnt like the other subjects by our natural reasoning, it is taught by God
himself. Any Subjects that we learn in this world is natural knowledge which brings
head knowledge. But the knowledge of God is spiritual knowledge which connects
to the heart.
Nicodemus
Nicodemus was a leader and a rabbi, he had knowledge in the scriptures, but
could not understand the words of Jesus, when Jesus said, "I tell you the
truth, unless a man is born again he cannot enter the kingdom on God."
(John 3:3) Nicodemus knowledge in the scripture was just head knowledge. There
are many who will go to
Jesus was speaking spiritual knowledge and only the Spirit of God can bring understanding to spiritual knowledge of God. The natural man cannot understand the spiritual things of God. Read 1 Corinthians 2:14. Man without the Spirit is dead in his transgressions. (Ephesians 2:1, 5) Always start learning Gods word through prayer so that the Holy Spirit will illuminate and bring understanding to the word of God. The seat of life is the heart, and the spiritual knowledge will give strength to the Christian who can live day by day to the Lord. You can live a life of holiness and in enjoyment to God.
By knowing him we come to know who we are.
Man is always seems to be just, upright, wise, and holy until he becomes
convinced by the clear evidence of the daily news papers and the television
news that clearly broadcasts the unbelievable and unimaginable things that man
do. May be education or a religion can help the moral condition of man, man is
yet to admit that he is evil, it is only by knowing God, we will realize that
God is holy and we are unholy. God is good and we are not good. God is wise and
we are unwise. God is strong and we are weak. As a result of knowing God our
pride will be humbled and hypocrisy will be unveiled. We will see the infinite
perfection of God and how helpless we are.
When God appeared to Old Testament saints they saw how unworthy and sinful they are in the sight of the almighty God. God is Spirit (John 4:24) and we cannot see with our physical eyes. When God appeared to man in the Old Testament times, he took a visible form where man can see. This is called theophany, where God took a visible manifestation so people can see him.
Abraham realized who he is, in the sight of God. Read Genesis 18:27.
Did Abraham realize how bright and intelligent he is?___________
What was his reaction_____________________________________________________
The Lord appeared to Moses from the burning bush and announces to Moses that
he would be Gods instrument in speaking to Pharaoh and bringing his people out
of Egypt. Did Moses say, thank you God, I deserve that position?_________
Read Exodus 3:11, what did Moses say?_______________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Read Isaiah 6:1-5
We may ask how Isaiah could see God who is spirit and is therefore not visible to bodily eyes. Since the minds of men are incapable of mounting to the infinite height of God, how can man apprehend God under any visible form? But we must realize that whenever God revealed himself to be seen by the fathers, he never appeared as he is in himself, no one can see God fully, even the angelic beings are covering their faces The prophets saw only a reflected glory of God. See Exodus 33:18-23 Therefore Isaiah was shown a form of a kind which enabled him with his own understanding to taste the inconceivable majesty of God. This is the reason that he attributes a throne, a robe, and a bodily appearance to God.
Isaiah was a prophet of God, what was the reaction of Isaiah when he confronted God?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Does God appears to man today like in the Old Testament times and speaks to man?__________________________________
Read Hebrews 1:1-2 (write in your own terms how God speak to man today.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
See also Jude 3
Today we come into the knowledge and to the presence of God through his Word.
Like Isaiah when you come into the presence of God, what will you discover of yourself?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
These are the following that Isaiah discovered.
1. The infinite holiness of God, his majesty, splendor and his glory.
Isaiah was given a vision of Gods unlimited holiness.
2. Woe unto me. (sinfulness of man)
Again the carnal man is puffed up with his knowledge, power and confidence
because they do not know God. When the Lord appears the carnal man is reduced
to dust.
Read Job 42:5-6
In here Job knew about God, but now when he saw God, what was his
reaction?___________________________________________________
Knowing God brings humility. The knowledge of God strikes the heart of man.
Read John 1:26-27. In here we see The attraction of the day was focused on one man, and that was John the Baptist. He was the spotlight. He could have easily stolen the spotlight for himself but rather realized of his true nature and gave the glory to the one who deserves.
3.) Isaiah realized that he is ruined or undone.
Again men are walking in the darkness of life. The life has no meaning, empty and cannot distinguish true from false. But when the light of God appears, it clearly exposes of our sins, wickedness, hypocrisy, weaknesses. We see our emptiness, and like Isaiah we see that we are ruined.
As we come to the knowledge of God through his Word, his word will bring out our sinful nature. Read Hebrews 4:12-13
Realize that the word of God is active and powerful, it will touch our inmost thoughts, feelings and every part of our body. The word of God will penetrate to our intellect and to our heart and bring out the sinful nature to the open surface. Our thoughts, motives and hidden sins lay naked before God. The word of God is powerful to change our attitudes as it will renew our minds. ( Ephesians 4:23)
Read Luke 5:1-8
How did God speak to Peter?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What did was Peters word to Jesus? (5:8)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
a.) Peter was overcome by the Power of God.
b.) In verse 5, Peter calls Jesus, "Master" and in verse 8 Peter
calls Jesus, "Lord"
c.) Peter was brought face to face with the Word that became flesh. (John 1:1)
and the word of God like a double edged sword brought the sinfulness of Peter.
d.) Peter realized of his weakness, compared to the power of God.
Now let us go back to Isaiah chapter 6
4.) Isaiah was stripped off of his glory.
Isaiah was the best man in town, as he was the prophet of the Lord. There are many Christians who are very pridefull in their ministry. Many take the wisdom and the glory to themselves. But in here when Isaiah saw the lord his glory was stripped off. King Nabuchadnezzar was a very prideful king. He took the glory to himself. Read Daniel 4:30. Then read 4:31-36 how God strip the glory of Nabuchadnezzar and made him humble.
By studying Gods word you will come to the knowledge and his presence, and it will strip of our pride and give glory to God.
How did Nabuchadnezzar acknowledge God after being humbled?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. "I lifted up my eyes" - A right view of God.
2. "My understanding returned" - A right understanding of reality.
3. "I blessed...praised...honored..." - A right attitude of worship.
When God comes into your life, he will take away that false glory and show you the glory that belongs only to God.
Paul had a lot of pride in persecuting the Christians, what happened to his pride when he encountered Jesus on the way to Damascas? (Read Acts 9:1-9)
a) The power of Paul was brought to zero.
b) Paul was humbled by blindness. He was a man of knowledge thought he knew the
Law of God, but now he is blind.
c) The knowledge of God was shown to Paul through hardships. (2 Cor. 12:7-10)
Like Paul, Jacob wrestled with God. Read Genesis 32:22-32. When he lost the
battle he realized how weak he was and he was humbled for the rest of his life
of his limping.
Lets read Jer. 9:23-24.
Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let
the mighty man
glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that
glorieth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise
loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things
I delight, saith the Lord.
Today all sorts of subjects are eagerly pursued; but the knowledge of God is being neglected. We see with what zeal everyone follows his own interests, while scarcely one man in a hundred deigns to devote half an hour a day to the knowledge of God. And from pride arise men's second mistake: they think the knowledge of God to be a common possession. So we see why the prophet used two verbs to name the same thing: "understandeth and knoweth me," he wanted to arouse greater zeal in men, since he saw that all were so lazy in the pursuit of this knowledge. Yet to know God and to glorify him, is man's chief end. Even if a hundred lives were ours, this one aim would be sufficient for them all. But, as I said, men despise the thing which should be preferred above all else.
We read in the Old Testament the holy men of God, when they came to the presence of God they were struck down and overwhelmed with Gods glory.
Read Judges 13:9-21. Concentrate on verse 20-22.
Today there are many who claim to have seen God, even among some popular evangelists of our day.
There are many Christians today trying hard to live an obedient life to God. It is like running a race but very soon they are tired and find that they fall into the same sins repeatedly. There is only a temporary relief. I believe the reason for this is we want to accomplish our obedience to God from our perspective. Instead we should see it from the perspective of God. We should begin face to face with God like Isaiah, that is knowing God first. Then we realize who is God and who is man. All great saints were humbled before they could be used by God. God is looking today for men and women who can be his mouth piece. But like Isaiah we need to be broken in our pride, worldliness and religious pride. God shall ask, "Whom shall I send?" Then like Isaiah, you will be delighted to serve God, as Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me." (Isaiah 6:8)
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God, that god should repay him?
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
(Romans 11:35-36)
Agape Chapel Ministries 11441 Hayford Street Norwalk, CA 90650. You are free to
make copies for distribution free of charge. If you have computer e-mail to
Missionaries and Pastors. QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL APPLICATION 1.) Why do you
think that some Christians are lukewarm and slow to
learn?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.) What is the difference between the natural knowledge and the spiritual
knowledge?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.) Give an example of a religious man who tried to understand the words of
Jesus by natural reasoning?_________________________________________ 4.) Does
the Bible say that the natural man cannot understand the spiritual things?____
If yes, where does it say__________________________________ In your own
experience do you know some people who are very intellectual, but when it comes
to the Word of God, it is foolishness to them.___________________________ 5.)
Why is it that the natural man cannot understand spiritual
things?__________________________________________________________(Give
scripture) 6.) What is theophany?___________________________________________
7.) There are many examples in the Bible, where men saw the Lord. What was the
result?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8.) The nature and the character of God can be seen in the Bible, and how does
God speak to you today?________________________________________(Give scripture)
9.) How did you evaluate yourself before becoming a
Christian?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10.) When you see the awesome holiness, righteousness and the glory of God,
what do you see in yourself? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11.) What was the great sin of King Nebuchadnezzar?____________________ 12.)
How did King Nabuchadnezzer acknowledge God, after his humbling experience?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13.) What does Jeremiah 9:23-24, teaching you not to do and what to
do?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14.) Write down on what you learnt from this
lesson.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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